


The Darkest Tale of Lorcan Darcy - Part 4

by CillianChamp



Series: The Darkest Tale of Lorcan Darcy [4]
Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: F/F, F/M, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-03
Updated: 2019-09-22
Packaged: 2020-10-06 16:17:08
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 17
Words: 66,112
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20509880
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CillianChamp/pseuds/CillianChamp
Summary: Sometimes after defeating Robotnik, Lorcan's been focus on her studies for her PSATs and her newly animated cartoon featuring her first ever cartoon character, The Darcy Triplets.And finally, during prom, She discovers from her brother that Edgar Evernever challenging her into a game which gives her a chance to avenge her sister's death, five years ago. Will she ever avenge her sister's death or will she joins the farm in the final chapter of the series?





	1. Five Weeks Later

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With Riverdale in disarray following Hiram's takeover, Veronica leads the charge against her father after he takes aim at La Bonne Nuit. Meanwhile, as Betty reluctantly houses the group of patients who escaped the Sisters of Quiet Mercy, Jughead confronts a group of desperate Serpents, who have resorted to drastic measures to make ends meet. Archie is forced to face his demons. Finally, Lorcan, Max and Dawn spend their last days in Brooklyn before going home.

_Okay well, this is as part of my plan. _

_The Darkest Tale of Lorcan Darcy - Part 3 splits in half, making the second half the fourth and final chapter of the series. _

_It sets after Lorcan, Max and Dawn saved the world from Robotnik. Lorcan was inspired by Sonic to continue her quest for revenge on the Farm and will continue._

_Okay, so this isn't the start of this chapter yet, but Lorcan will stay in Brooklyn with Max and Dawn for a weekend before returning to Riverdale in time for her to study for her PSATs._

_Thank you all for reading and enjoy Part 4._

* * *

In the Previous Chapter of The Darkest Tale of Lorcan Darcy. It's the start of Lorcan's junior year when she reunites with Evelyn Evernever, the wife of Edgar Evernever who has been transferring from high school to high school, posing as 17 years old for more than a decade. When Lorcan and Jake's wedding has arrived, she was shocked that Jake didn't showed up which caused Lorcan to dump him which makes Betty, Cheryl, Veronica and Josie feels guilty. 

When Lorcan brought Sega Saturn with a game called Sonic X-Treme at the antique store, she, Max and Dawn got Sonic the Hedgehog from his world to the real world, along with Dr. Robotnik. The Darcy Kids discovers that Robotnik has teamed up with Asher and Lorcan's former best friend Amaya Hagins to plot revenge on her by using the XRI to turn the world's natural landmarks, such as Mount Everest and the Amazon rainforest, into digital replicas so that he can make virtual reality experiences and profit off of people wanting to see them, so that they wouldn't have to visit the landmarks themselves. 

And now, Lorcan defeated Asher and Amaya and say her goodbye to Sonic as she was inspires by him to continue her revenge plan on the Farm as they prepare to go home, until they heard about the quarantine.

* * *

It's been five weeks after the defeat of Robotnik. Ever since the quarantine, the crime rate has risen. There had been a series of daring cat burglaries; the culprits, none other than Cheryl and Toni. The two return to Thistlehouse with their stolen goods. "Stealing from the rich to give to us", Cheryl remarks. Toni and Cheryl then exchange I love you’s before kissing. 

While the quarantine has since been lifted from over Riverdale, the town has yet to regain its pep. As Cheryl and Toni walk through the halls of Riverdale High holding hands, they are instructed to separate by Moose, acting under RROTC command. Kevin informs Cheryl that one of the school’s new rules is to keep physical contact to a minimum. Toni questions this new rule as there hasn’t been any seizures for weeks and everything tested has come back negative. With that being said, Cheryl and Toni completely ignore Moose and Kevin’s order, referring to them as crypto-fascist before proceeding on their way.

Cheryl and Toni arrive at La Bonne Nuit as Josie is performing on stage. Veronica welcomes them before pointing them in the direction of their table. She then convenes with Reggie, who informs her that business is well. Even her mocktails are selling out.

At the Cooper house, Betty and Jughead awake to the sound of panicked screaming. It’s Hannah, one of the girls Betty rescued from the Sisters of Quiet Mercy. Betty wakes Hannah up from her nightmare to comfort her, reminding her that the Gargoyle King is dead. Tyler, another patient, reminds Hannah that Betty, the Gryphon Queen, saved them. Hannah then asks Betty if they can play a game of Gryphons and Gargoyles, to which she hesitantly agrees. However, under the game board box, Betty discovers a bag of Fizzle Rocks. Hannah reveals that it belongs to Tyler. Betty questions where Tyler got Fizzle Rocks, to which he reveals that his dealer is an unnamed Serpent.

Betty relays this info to Jughead, who blames himself for the Serpents dealing Hiram Lodge’s drugs as he was gone too long. He left both Betty and the Serpents without a leader even though his reason for doing so was to protect Archie. Fizzle Rocks are now everywhere because Jughead wasn’t in Riverdale to stop Hiram when he made his play. On top of all that, they still don’t have a sheriff. Jughead and Betty question the reason behind the quarantine. Betty recalls that Hiram was paying the Sisters to test his drugs on the patients. So, she doesn’t see him getting away with that. However, she and attorney McCoy must first convince Sister Woodhouse and the rest of the nuns to turn on Hiram. In doing so, Archie and Lorcan could finally come back, Betty says.

In Brooklyn, Lorcan, Max and Dawn are having fun back in Brooklyn. Ever since Robotnik, Asher and Amaya's defeat, they've spent five weeks there. Lorcan goes to her laptop and start video chat with their parents as for their delight.

"Hola, my amigos!" Lorcan greets to her family in Spanish, she shocks that her baby girl is getting big. "Ooh, look at you, you're getting big, my Ellie-belly."

"How's Brooklyn, kiddo?" Bill asked.

"Great, I heard the quarantine is lifted, that's great." Dawn said to her father.

"Yeah, so, when are you coming back home?" Bill asked.

"Oh, we'll be back home on Sunday. I know I called my history teacher a shithead for threatened me." Lorcan answers.

"Excellent." Bill said in joy.

"Anyway, thanks for looking after Ellie for me, Dad. It's an incredibly sweet thing you did for me." Lorcan said to Bill while thanking him to look after her daughter.

"Hey, I love all my kids." Bill said while smiling. "So, did you three have fun?"

"Oh yeah, we've reunited with some of our old friends, settled some old scores with old enemies." Max answers that they have a great time. "We'll be back on Sunday night."

"It's a good idea. So, I gotta get going, I'll see you three Sunday night." Bill said to his kids while saying goodbye. 

"You two, Dad." Lorcan, Max and Dawn said in union as Bill hangs up the video call.

While held up in his cabin in the woods, Archie has apparently joined a park ranger service of sorts, radioing in to the local park rangers to report that everything is quiet and clear. When asked if he’ll be staying for another rotation or moving on, Archie replies that he’s still thinking it over. The park ranger on the other end of the radio then informs him of recent bear sightings. With that, Archie heads out with Vegas.

While returning to Riverdale from his beer run across the border, Reggie is ambushed by the Gargoyle gang. Initially, his tire blows out, when he steps out to take a look, he is attacked by several masked individuals. Afterward, Reggie returns to La Bonne Nuit. Veronica is very apologetic for her father’s actions, and admittedly, she should’ve seen this coming. What Reggie doesn’t get is how they knew he’d be there. He never takes the same road twice. Hiram made it very clear that if Veronica wishes to run La Bonne Nuit in a post-quarantine Riverdale then she has to give him 10% of her earnings, which Reggie is very much against. However, Veronica has come up with a plan to minimize that price. Pop Tate hands her a cooked book for the speakeasy, which’ll hopefully deceive Hiram into thinking that he’s getting 10% when in actuality he’s only getting 5%. Reggie is impressed, calling Veronica a bad ass.

While walking the trail, Archie and a Vegas cross paths with some random hikers. As Vegas begins to bark, Archie decides to take another path. It’s on that trail that he finds what appears to be bear tracks. Archie is then attacked by a bear. Archie returns to the cabin badly wounded, having suffered deep wounds on his chest and upper arm. Archie radios in to report the attack. The women on the other end tells him to apply pressure until they arrive. Archie grabs the first aid kit to tend to his wounds before laying down on the bed.

Alice is exhausted, as she explains to Betty that they don’t have the room or resources to house all the kids. But the Farm does, Alice remarks. Though, Betty is very much against sending them to the Farm, asking if this can wait until after the trial. They only left the Sisters because Betty convinced them to trust her. Alice concedes, but not before telling Betty that the kids are her responsibility alone.

Betty goes to meet with attorney McCoy at the Five Seasons. Unfortunately, the meeting doesn’t go well. Regardless of the fact that the Sisters abused children and tested Hiram’s drugs on them, which is why they’re in jail, awaiting trial, the Sisters' lawyer doesn’t want Betty or Sierra harassing them. Furthermore, Sierra told Sowerberry that they’d give the Sisters immunity if they agreed to testify against Hiram, but he informed attorney McCoy that the nuns have taken a vow of silence. To make matters worse, Betty has already admitted that they were all on drugs while at the asylum, drugs that are known to cause hallucinations. Nonetheless, Betty knows what she saw. While Sierra believes her, a jury won’t.

Veronica calls Hiram down to La Bonne Nuit to discuss business. Hiram claims to have no involvement in the attack on Reggie and her cargo, but he did hear that someone sent the Gargoyle gang to apply pressure. With no other choice, Veronica is willing to pay her father for protection, pleasing Hiram, who informs her that the Gargoyles won’t mess with her business again. Veronica lies, stating that business is slow, however, Hiram has already learned from his capos Leo and Nico that the parking lot for La Bonne Nuit has been packed every night. Veronica retorts that her father is walking tall these days and that she hopes the Sisters don’t flip on him and reveal that he was supplying them with drugs. With that, Hiram agrees to settle for 10%, but he wants to see Veronica’s books. As they continue to discuss their terms, Hiram notes that Josie, who is singing on stage, sounds incredible.

With FP and Betty at his side, Jughead calls a meeting of the Serpents at Sunnyside Trailer Park after it came to his attention that at least one of them has been selling Fizzle Rocks, which is not what Serpents do. Cheryl, Toni, Sweet Pea, and Fangs are in attendance, among others. Starting that moment, there will be no selling or doing of drugs. And no crime of any kind will be tolerated. Anyone that breaks the Serpent code will be exiled permanently. Cheryl, for one, is outraged. She calls into question Jughead's latest decision. He vanished for a month, only to return to lecture them about responsibilities. Also unreleased by Jughead’s decree is Fangs. With no money coming in, he wonders what they’re supposed to do to survive. FP replies that they’ll figure it out, but in the mean time, he recites Serpent law #6 — "In unity there is strength."

While returning home from the speakeasy, Josie is nearly attacked by a Gargoyle. He waits by her door as she turns the corner. Josie just barely makes it inside, locking the door behind her as the Gargoyle bangs on the door. Josie then calls Veronica and Reggie over to inform them of the attack. Again, Veronica is very apologetic. Veronica’s paying a lot of money to ensure that this doesn’t happen. However, Josie is very much aware of Hiram’s affiliation with the Gargoyles. Whatever problems Veronica has with her father, Josie refuses to be dragged into it. Either Veronica straightens this out or she'll have to find a new singer for La Bonne Nuit as it’s too dangerous for Josie to be there.

Betty returns home to find Polly and Evelyn attempting to recruit the kids from the Sisters of Quiet Mercy to the Farm. Polly explains that the Farm helped her. There, everyone’s equal, Evelyn says. Polly informs Betty that she was called in by their mom, who perceived Betty to be in over her head. Betty then takes back the Farm t-shirts that Evelyn is passing out, explaining that this is their attempt to bribe them. Polly denies doing anything of the sort. When she fled from her the Sisters, the Farm became her salvation and family. As their Gryphon Queen, Betty promises to protect them. The Farm is not safe. Polly calls into question just how safe they are by asking if Betty revealed to them how the Gargoyle King broke into the house and terrorized them, which she hadn't. Evelyn then asks about the Fizzle Rocks she and Polly found at the house. Betty replies that she doesn’t know where they are getting the drugs from. Polly explains that’s because she’s a Serpent, so the kids didn't want to tell her, but they revealed to Polly and Evelyn that Fangs Fogarty is the unnamed Serpent dealing Fizzle Rocks. Betty then relays this info to Jughead.

Having learned from Betty that Fangs is dealing Fizzle Rocks, Jughead and FP confront him in the trailer. Jughead wonders why Fangs didn’t come to him. Fangs explained that when the quarantine happened, he needed money and Jughead was gone. When FP asks what he needed the money for, Fangs reveals that his mother is sick and that she has treatments that he can’t afford. With Fangs being like a brother to Jughead, he would’ve helped him, however, Fangs was ashamed, so he started dealing Fizzle Rocks, which he got from the Gargoyle gang. Jughead reminds Fangs that the punishment for breaking this code is immediate exile, though considering that Fangs had a rougher year than most, eluding to him being locked up for Midge Klump’s murder and him being shot outside the Sheriff station, Jughead is willing to look the other way just this once, but if he catches Fangs dealing again then he is out the Serpents.

Cheryl and Toni break into the Pembrooke to burglarize it. They find a Glamourge egg over the fire place and take it. Before leaving, Cheryl enters Hiram's study and leaves her calling card, a red kiss mark on his portrait above his desk.

etty’s called Jughead’s former case worked Ms. Weiss over to ask if there was any luck in finding the kids a home. However, but it’s going to be hard to find one given that people are concerned about the emotional trauma the patients have suffered. And they have still yet to convince the Sisters to turn on Hiram. They’ve taken a vow of silence. It’s part of their religion. Ms. Weiss has had dealings with the Sisters over the years and there’s something she thinks Betty should know about their relationship with the church.

Veronica confronts her father following the attack on Josie considering that she’s paying him to avoid such incidents. Hiram reveals that Josie was attacked because Veronica had the audacity to try to deceive him by cooking the books. Now, he wants the full amount that he’s owed and the Glamourge egg that was taken. Hiram suspects it was Cheryl based on the red lipstick kiss mark left on his painting in his study.

Veronica goes to see Jughead, demanding that he retrieve the egg from Cheryl, who’s been ignoring Veronica’s calls. Jughead questions when Veronica decided to align herself with her father. She explains that this isn’t the case. He’s squeezing her and her business. Now, not only does he have her paying protection, but he’s made her responsible for getting the egg back. Having learned that Veronica is paying Hiram for protection against his own gang, Jughead has a solution to both of their problems. He offers the Serpents’ protection. Veronica gets real protection and the Serpents get a steady income. Veronica agrees, but only if Jughead gets her the egg back.

Archie continues his game with Cassidy and the Shadow Lake boys. The challenge reveals the weakness, which keeps him from winning. His card puts him face to face with the Black Hood. Archie finds himself in Pop’s during his first encounter with the Black Hood just moments before he shoots Fred. However, this time, Archie tackles the Black Hood to the ground and kills him. Archie returns with the hood as proof. However, Cassidy and the Shadow Lake boys are gone. In their place is Warden Norton. Archie refuses to play with him, someone who died from the game. Norton retorts that he ascended. As for Joaquin, Archie wonders if he ascended too since that was his reward for stabbing Archie. Warden Norton explains that was the card Joaquin drew. A do or die moment. Archie has had one of his own, though it’s not with the Black Hood as he initially thought. Archie needs to find the time and place where it all went wrong, Norton explains. Roll the dice and Archie may find the path that leads to Eldervair, he says.

Betty’s learned Sister Woodhouse’s secret from Ms. Weiss, and so she and attorney McCoy confront that Sisters at the station. The church disbanded the Sisters of Quiet Mercy during the Vatican II over allegations of cruel and inhumane practices. The Sisters haven’t been nuns for over sixty years, which means their vow of silence won’t hold up in court. Should Sister Woodhouse agree to testify again Hiram, she’ll be granted immunity. Sister Woodhouse reluctantly agrees. Her immunity will be granted only if she swears in court that Hiram gave them money and drugs for testing.

Jughead calls for another meeting at Sunnyside with the Serpents. He announces the deal he made with Veronica. They’ll be working security detail for her, her speakeasy and her employees. The Serpents cheer in excitement. However, Jughead’s also gathered them for less celebratory reasons. Jughead calls Cheryl and Toni up as they burglarized the Pembrooke. More than that, Cheryl left her calling card, attaching herself and by extension all the Serpents to her crime. However, Cheryl isn’t afraid of Hiram. Nevertheless, she broke the code, and so Jughead demands that both Cheryl and Toni turn in their jackets. Toni can’t believe this is happening, reminding Jughead that she is a Serpent by blood and that this isn’t something he can take from her.

Cheryl calls Jughead out on being a hypocrite, having learned that Fangs was selling Fizzle Rocks and that Jughead gave him a pass. They know because Fangs told Sweet Pea, who told Toni, who told Cheryl. She adds that since Jughead is asking for her and Toni jackets, he should be asking for Fangs’ as well. In fairness, Jughead does just that, which Sweet Pea does no respond well to, grabbing Jughead. Fangs tells Sweet Pea to relax and angrily hands over his jacket. Sweet Pea attempts to follow Fangs but FP stops him. Jughead then turns his attention towards Cheryl and Toni, who agree to leave but refuse to give up their jackets, which is fine by Jughead, but he also asks that Cheryl give him the egg back or else Veronica won’t agree to the protection contract. Jughead explains that he believes that Cheryl still has honor, and it's getting cold out. And unlike Cheryl, the rest of them don’t get to go back to Thistlehouse.

Jughead meets with Veronica and Reggie at Pop’s to return the egg. From there, Veronica and Reggie gives Jughead and the Serpents their first assignment, asking if he’d ever heard of the Gargoyle gang.

Betty comes home to find Tyler badly beaten. He accuses Betty of lying to them about the Gargoyle King’s death. Tyler saw him in Fox Forest, where the Gargoyle gang beat him up. Tyler begins to question if Betty also lied about them being safe at her house. Betty insists that they’ll all be safe after the Sisters testify against the Man in Black. Hannah asks where they will be safe. A question Betty doesn’t have the answer to.

  
Archie picks another quest card, which initially says kill the Gargoyle King, but when he looks at it again, it says kill the Man in Black. Archie then finds himself in the Pembrooke. He notices a framed portrait of the Gargoyle King hanging on the wall in Hiram’s study. Archie approaches Hiram, who knows why he has come. Archie believes killing Hiram was his do or die moment and that it would’ve solved everything. Hiram states that it was stupid of Archie to threaten him and tell him all his plans. With a blade in hand, Archie stabs Hiram, killing him. When he returns from his challenge, he finds Betty, Veronica, and Jughead waiting for him. Betty asks if he’s been working on any new songs. However, Archie isn’t that person anymore, he says while teary-eyed. Archie doesn’t want to play, but it’s his only way back to Eldervair, Riverdale and innocence.

Hiram returns to his study to find the Glamourge egg smashed into tiny pieces, and a business card from La Bonne Nuit left on his desk. It reads "New deal. No deal!"

Betty has call Fred, Cheryl, Nana Rose and Sierra over to the Five Seasons to discuss with them the patients from the Sisters of Quiet Mercy, who have been orphaned. While Betty has been housing them, that has become untenable. So, she’s called them over to ask for shelter just until the Sisters testify against Hiram. Fred agrees to take in some of the boys since he has the room now that Archie is gone. Rose also agrees. She’s saved many children from there before and will gladly do so again. With that, Nana Rose and Cheryl will board some of the girls at Thistlehouse. While all Sierra has to offer is a pullout couch, she agrees to take in a couple too.

FP is concerned over Jughead’s deal with Veronica. While she may be his friend, she is also a Lodge, but as Jughead recalls, his father also worked for the Lodges once by trashing the Twilight Drive-In. FP wants Jughead to be a better King than he was, making them players instead of pawns. FP then tells Jughead to put him in as he’s not made to be sitting on the sideline.

  
While on his way back to town from another beer run, Reggie comes across another set of road spikes just as before, except this time he sees them and stops. Reggie exits the truck and is immediately surrounded. As they head towards the back of the truck to trash the cargo, the Serpents attack, jumping out he back of the truck with weapons in hand. One Gargoyle is knocked to the ground as the others flee. Sweet Pea and FP hold him up as Jughead uses him to send a message to Hiram. He informs the Gargoyle that Veronica is now under the protection of the Serpents and that Riverdale has not fallen. The Serpents then proceed to let the Gargoyle go to deliver the message.

Betty arrives home to find that Hannah, Tyler, and the others are gone. After Tyler was attacked, Alice called Edgar for advice and he came to take them to the Farm.

Archie picks his next quest card, hoping that it is his last. His potential last quest lands him in his own bedroom, standing over himself as he sleeps. Baseball bat in hand, Archie contemplates killing himself, but Fred advises him against it. Archie looks down on his sleeping self, stating that he’s the one who got him in all the trouble, not the Black Hood, Gargoyle King or Hiram Lodge. Fred suggests forgiving him, but for Archie it’s too late. Fred disagrees as Archie’s not the villain he thinks he is. There always another path home. However, Archie believes that if he’s to ever return to Riverdale, he must first destroy that side of him. Fred tells him to come home, but Archie replies that he has to do this first, then apologizing before swinging the bat multiple times in what appears to be him killing his sleeping self. However, as Archie throws the bat down and looks to the bed, there is no one there.

Reggie enters La Bonne Nuit to find Veronica singing on stage in a long purple gown. Afterward, once the place has cleared out, they share a kiss.

Jughead, FP, and Sweet Pea meet with Fangs in the woods. They’d talked it over and want to give him a shot at redemption. They want Fangs to go undercover, join the Gargoyle gang, to be the man on the inside of Hiram’s drug operation in order to take him down. Honored by the opportunity for redemption, Fangs agrees to be their inside man.

Betty gets a call from attorney McCoy, who from the sheriff station, informs her that the Sisters are gone. An anonymous donor posted their bail, that being Hiram of course. But they left a message on the cell wall. "We go to join thee." Sierra has no idea what this could mean, but Betty does. She rushes to the chamber within the Sisters’ asylum only to find all of them dead from cyanide poisoning, evident by their blue lips.

The park rangers finally arrive at Archie’s cabin only to find him unresponsive and seemingly dead.

Lorcan, Max and Dawn has spent their last day in Brooklyn with their mother and her family. They've finally made amends with her before returning home. Lorcan's about to start the car until...

"Going somewhere?" Pop-Pop asked while sitting in the back of her car. He is Lorcan, Max and Dawn's grandfather from their mother's side.

"Pop-Pop, get out!" Lorcan said to him, rudely.

"We don't want to hear one of your adorable, wise lectures that makes us a better people." Max said to him.

"We're going back to Riverdale and that's final." Dawn said to him.

"Fine, I won't mix in." Pop-Pop said before asking. "But did you ever wonder why thanksgiving makes your mother so crazy?"

"Cause she's crazy?" Lorcan asked.

"For sure, but there's a reason why that day means so much to her." Pop-Pop said.

"Because she always made dinner with Nana." Max said.

"Face it, Pop-Pop, we know all about it." Dawn said.

"Well, what you don't know is that your mom was 17 when she lost Nana." Pop-Pop said to them.

"We didn't realize that." Max said to his sisters.

"That box of recipes, you girls cooking together, it all brings back your grandmother for her." Pop-Pop said while handing the box of recipes to Max. "Have a look."

Max grab the box of recipes and toss them out the window as Pop-Pop's shocked and rushed out to get the box. He turns to Dawn. "Quick, lock the door, Dawn!" 

Dawn locks the door and Lorcan starts the car to head back to Riverdale. Pop-Pop was furious that his grand-kids won't stay. He always wanted them to live with Lisa, but they rather be with their father like Lisa said. While driving back home, they celebrate what they pulled.

"I can't believe it actually worked." Lorcan said to them.

"I know!" Dawn said while smiling. 

"Yeah." Max said in agreement.

"Now, it's time to get down to business." Lorcan said to her siblings. "It's time to continue what I've left off, Revenge on the Farm. What I need is a huge plan to avenge Laura-Belle."

"What do you have in mind?" Dawn asked.

"I have not thought this through!" Lorcan answers after realizing that she doesn't have a plan to get revenge on the Farm yet.

"Don't worry, we'll work on it." Max said to Lorcan about their revenge plan. "We have allies on our side. Jake, Kyle, Anya, Carla, Adam, Austin, Paige, Marissa, DJ and Emily. We also have Sonic on our side as a friend."

"Emily and Evelyn are identical, aren't they?" Dawn asked.

"Oh yeah, she's the spitting image." Lorcan answers after realizing that Emily and Evelyn are identical.

They arrived back to Riverdale as they arrived back to their house. They sneak inside the house and tip-toe upstairs to their bedrooms, so they won't wake everyone up. Bill, Audra, Jenny, Molly, Toby, Jake and Kyle are hiding in the kitchen with a large "welcome home" poster and surprise them, causing them to freak out and spray Toby in the face with hair spray which makes Lorcan and Dawn laugh.


	2. SATs

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With SAT's around the corner, Alice and FP urge Jughead and Betty to stop investigating G&G and start focusing on their SAT prep. However, when Alice takes things one step too far, Betty is forced to come face-to-face with someone from her past. Finally, Jughead makes a bold move against the Gargoyle Gang. Meanwhile, Lorcan came back to Riverdale High and attempt to come face-to-face with Evelyn.

At 8:47 on a Wednesday morning, Archie died. At least a part of him did. Archie now seems fine and completely healed from the wounds he suffered when he was attacked by a bear. Now he and Vegas have returned to Riverdale. He returns home and is greeted by Fred with a hug. Over breakfast, Archie shares with his father how he was attacked in the woods and how he woke up in the hospital knowing that he couldn’t continue to run, and that it was time to come home to regain a sense of normalcy. As for Hiram, Archie can no longer live his life in fear of when Hiram may come after him. Furthermore, Archie’s more concerned for his father, who reminds Archie that he survived the Black Hood twice and that Hiram doesn’t scare him. Not to mention that Fred also has friends in town. He then asks Archie about Veronica and whether or not he’s spoken to her.

Archie surprises Veronica at La Bonne Nuit. Veronica hugs him before asking a series of questions, from where he’s been to why he dyed his hair. Archie explains that he did so to keep from being recognized in case Hiram came looking for him. Archie apologizes for having left her, though Veronica’s simply happy that he’s back, and the two proceed to kiss at the bar.

Afterward, Archie and Veronica convene upstairs at Pop’s with Betty and Jughead. Jughead notes the dramatic changes with Archie both inside and out. As for what he missed while he was gone, Veronica informs him of the town quarantine orchestrated by her father, which resulted in Pop’s being shut down and just recently re-opening. Hiram’s also been attacking shipments to the speakeasy, but thankfully, Veronica’s hired the Serpents as her full-time protection. And that service extends to Archie. Jughead assures Archie he has no need to worry about Hiram as he has the Serpents looking out for Archie 24/7. Also, Jughead has a possible lead that may bring an end to it all. He had Fangs go undercover in the Gargoyle Gang. While he hasn’t met the Gargoyle King yet, when he does, they are going to take the him down. Jughead is certain that Hiram is the man under the mask, which would come as no surprise to Veronica. Betty then mentions the SATs, which has completely slipped Archie’s mind, and they are coming up Saturday. Betty assures Archie that they will all help him study. Pop Tate then returns to their table to inform Betty that her card has been declined, and so Veronica steps in to take care of the bill.

Betty returns home and confronts her mother after learning from the Bank of Riverdale that all of her accounts, including her college fund has been completely drained of assets. Alice explains that her funds were transferred. Most of it was blood money that Betty inherited from the Blossoms anyways. Alice tells Betty that it was wired to the Farm as a tax-deductible donation. To help support the children that Betty freed from the Sisters of Quiet Mercy. Betty is distraught that her mother just gave away her tuition money, to which Alice replies that Betty can always study at the Farm for free. However, Betty refuses to be cornered into joining the Farm.

Lorcan walks outside and saw Betty in anger. She decided to talk to her again as a friend. When Betty saw her, her attitude has changed that she's extremely happy to see her again.

"Lorcan! Welcome home. Betty greets her friend after approached to her.

"Thanks, B." Lorcan said as she give her a hug. "I am working on a huge plan against the Farm."

"Anything you have in mind?" Betty asked.

"Not yet. It will come to me, but first. I have something to deal with Evelyn." Lorcan said to Betty that she has something to do first with Evelyn. "What's going on?"

"My mom gave away my money to the Farm." Betty answers to Lorcan about what Alice did.

"I spend my last day in Brooklyn with my mom, we both made amends." Lorcan said.

Fred and FP pay a visit to Hiram at the Pembrooke to inform him of Archie’s return. Hiram pretends to be pleased by this revelation, claiming that he’s never wished any harm to Archie. Or to even Jughead for that matter. Fred warns Hiram, threatening to kill him should he come after Archie. Moreover, Fred will be at peace with whatever the consequences of that are.

Archie goes to see Mr. Weatherbee as he continues his transition back into his life at Riverdale High. Weatherbee advises him to be realistic in terms of his goals. The SATs are approaching and Archie hasn’t had much of a chance to prepare. Mr. Weatherbee strongly recommends that Archie repeat his junior year, meaning he won’t graduate with his friends.

Reggie approaches Veronica at her locker and tries to kiss her, but she pulls away. He asks if something’s wrong as she didn’t text him back the night before. Veronica informs him that Archie and Lorcan are back. While Veronica and Reggie may have kissed, she can’t tell him that it happened, her being his ex-girlfriend and Reggie being a close friend. Reggie understands and falls back. He wonders how Archie’s doing, to which Veronica explains that he’s unsettled and stressed. While she can’t do anything about the former, the latter, she can help with.

Lorcan arrived in Pop's to see someone. She walked to the counter until Anya rushed out of the bathroom in her uniform and shocked that Lorcan is back.

"Darcy." Anya said while smiling as Lorcan laughs. "Darcy! She's back! She's back!"

"I'm back!" Lorcan said while smiling. "You got the job!"

"I got the job!" Anya said while smiling. They both give each other a big kiss for fun.

They sit in their booth while having a milkshake and a burger. "No way. You and your mom made amends?" Anya asked.

"Way! And she show us some embarrassing photos of Emily pooping her pants last week." Lorcan explained to Anya about Emily. "She always pooping herself at most of the time."

"Whoa, that's hilarious." Anya said while laughing. "So how are you feeling during the quarantine?"

"Great, I relaxed. Spend time with some old friends and temporary teach at our old school." Lorcan answers. "I have to study for my SATs." 

"You too? Great, me, Jake and Kyle are doing a study group. You can study with us if you want." Anya said to Lorcan about her study group.

"Thanks guys. I want to get the same score like we do to go to UCLA." Lorcan said.

"And that's our goal. Get a same score to get us to UCLA." Anya said to Lorcan. "So, are you in?"

"I'm in." Lorcan said as she agreed to join the study group.

Betty visits attorney McCoy at the Five Seasons in search of counsel. She's wondering if her mother transferring her funds to the Farm can be reversed. Sierra explains that Alice can do this so long as both of Betty’s parents sign off to release her funds, and according to the documents, it looks like her father signed, however, that would be impossible as Alice never goes to see Hal. She must’ve forged his signature. In that case, Betty’s needs to get her father to sign an affidavit, attesting to the fact that he never agreed to liquidate Betty’s funds.

At the Pembrooke, Penelope and Claudius inform Hiram that the Sisters of Quiet Mercy asylum is up for auction. It appears to be a competitive situation with multiple bidders, including the Farm. Hiram however has other plans for the property, which doesn’t include Penelope’s brothel. The reason Hiram summoned them is because they need a new sheriff, and he’s nominated Claudius, who initially refuses as the last sheriff was killed, but is strong-armed into the position by Hiram.

Jughead and Betty help Archie study for the SATs as promised. Unfortunately, Archie performed terribly on the practice test, scoring in the bottom ten percentile. Jughead then gets a message from Fangs, warranting his immediate attention, and so Archie and Betty stay behind to finish studying. However, Archie is starting to feel hopeless. But Betty reminds him that he said the same thing in the 2nd grade when he couldn’t read, and eventually Betty got him caught up. Archie contemplates on whether Weatherbee was right and that he has changed too much. In one respect, that may be true, but Betty knows that the Archie she knew still exists.

Jughead meets with Fangs in the bunker, where Fangs reveals that he’s successfully infiltrated the Gargoyle Gang. The Gargoyle King is impressed by Fangs’ Fizzle Rocks sales and wants to invite him into the Inner Circle. They’re having a ceremony tomorrow night in Fox Forest and the Gargoyle King will be there. Jughead wants Fangs to attend the ceremony, but he does make a point to reassure him that he’ll have back up.

Back at Archie’s house, Betty has convinced Archie to wash out the dark colored dye from his hair, restoring it to its natural fiery color. She then takes him to La Bonne Nuit, where a welcome home party awaits him. In attendance is Veronica, Jughead, Reggie, Kevin, and many others. Archie, Betty, and Jughead take a seat as Veronica sings on stage for Archie. Not far away, Reggie sits visibly annoyed, though this goes unnoticed by all. As Veronica continues to sing, Archie seems to become overwhelmed by all his grief and suffering, taking off right in the middle of Veronica’s performance.

Betty visits her father in prison for the first time. She shows him the documents with his forged signature on it, explaining that her mother stole her college funds and so now Betty needs Hal to sign an affidavit that says the signature is a forgery. In reading the papers recently, Hal’s found himself compelled by the Gargoyle King, whose claimed 14 souls, which Hal states as being remarkable. He knows that it greatly angers Betty that she hasn’t caught him yet and even offers to help her. However, Betty’s only interested in her funds being returned. Hal tells Betty to bring him the Gryphons and Gargoyles manual that he’s heard so much about and then he’ll be more than willing to sign the affidavit.

Reggie and Veronica discuss Archie’s recent strange behavior, though Veronica does come to his defense, claiming that it all may be a bit too overwhelming for him, being back in Riverdale and all. However, the Archie they both saw last night is a different person. As for what this may mean for Archie and Veronica’s relationship, Veronica's too afraid to say out loud.

Reggie enters the locker room and picks a fight with Archie, referring to how he "stormed out of the speakeasy like a little bitch." A statement that doesn’t sit well with Archie. It is then that Reggie notices the scars on his body. Archie reveals to Reggie that he was attacked by a bear. Reggie reasons this is the reason Archie has been acting so strange since his return.

Hiram heads down to Town Hall, where he informs Hermione that he’s decided to buy the Sisters of Quiet Mercy and make it into their stronghold. Hermione sarcastically remarks that his plans sounds wonderful with the exception of the fact that the asylum is likely haunted by the ghost of the nuns who died there. Hiram claims he’ll have it cleansed. In the meantime, he asks that Hermione appoint Claudius Blossom as Sheriff of Riverdale. Hermione refuses to do so as Claudius is Hiram’s business partner, which will cause people to talk, not that Hiram cares. Given their recent expansions, it’s important that they have someone they can trust in the sheriff’s office. This is ironic considering Hermione doesn’t even know what these expansions are, to which Hiram replies that it doesn’t matter. He states that it’s what’s best for the family. So for all their sake, especially Hermione’s, Hiram advises her to do it quickly.

As requested, Betty brings Hal a manual for G&G, and as promised, Hal signs the affidavit. Betty takes the document and attempts to leave without so much as a goodbye, though Hal reels her back in with the mention of ascension night. He claims he was there for it even though he wasn’t a member of the Midnight Club. He was aware of them and claims that he sent out the invitations for ascension night, dressed up as the Gargoyle King, and poisoned the chalices. Hal’s plan was to kill as many members of the Midnight Club as possible as they were all sinners, but Principal Featherhead crashed the party and drank from the chalice. This is why Hal believes he can solve the mystery of who the present Gargoyle King is. It’s because he was the Gargoyle King of the past. As Betty signs out, the guard informs her that she and her mother keep missing each other. However, as far as Betty knew, her mother hadn’t come to see her father in months. Though, the guard tells Betty that Alice comes by to visit Hal every Monday.

Fred enters Archie’s room to find him reorganizing his room. Within all the cleaning, Fred finds a photo taken of Archie from the Variety Show. However, Archie claims to just barely have any recollection of it. Archie’s explains that he’s feeling restless and that it’s weird for him to be home after everything that’s happened. Though, he doesn’t wish to talk about it, at least not until after the SATs.

As planned, Fangs attends the ceremony in Fox Forest. The Gargoyle Gang, led by the Gargoyle King, surrounds a fiery pit as they await Fangs’ arrival. Once Fangs arrive, they instruct him to kneel before the King, which Fangs does. It seems that part of the ceremony involves branding the mark of the Gargoyle onto Fangs. Just off in the woods, Jughead and FP take out two armed guards. Moments away from being branded, Fangs is saved by the Serpents. While the Gargoyle Gang manage to escape, the Serpents do manage to capture the Gargoyle King. The man under the mask is revealed to be Tall Boy, much to Jughead, FP, Sweet Pea, and Fangs’ surprise.

Jughead, FP, Sweet Pea, and Fangs take Tall Boy to the bunker, where they tie him to a chair and torture him for answers as they were all under the impression that he was dead. FP asks where he’s been hiding. Tall Boy replies that he’s been held up in a small town called Athens. When Tall Boy reveals that it was him who broke into Betty’s house, Jughead punches him in the face. They know that he’s been working for Hiram, parading around in the Gargoyle King costume. Simply to gain a reaction, Tall Boy goes onto reveal that he took great pleasure in carving that symbol into Joaquin’s head after killing him, which deeply angers Fangs and Sweet Pea, though Jughead and FP hold them at bay. However, Jughead isn’t willing to do so much longer, threatening to turn Sweet Pea and Fangs loose should Tall Boy refuse to help them get to Hiram. Tall Boy explains that Hiram would never agree to meet with him, not unless he had something that he really wanted.

Betty returns home to find her mother all dressed up, asking if this is what she wears when she goes to see Hal. However, Alice has no idea what she’s talking about. Alice is prepping for an interview with RIVW, the local broadcast news. It has always been Alice’s dream to work for it. Betty reveals that she went to see her father after her mother forged his signature, but it was during that time that he revealed that he murdered Principal Featherhead. Alice states this as being impossible as Hal wasn’t there. However, he knew details about ascension night, which means he was either there or someone told him. Alice swears that in 25 years of marriage, she never mentioned ascension night to Hal. Furthermore, she hadn’t gone to see Hal since before G&G resurfaced.

Archie approaches Reggie in the student lounge to ask something of him. Archie wants to talk to Reggie about cheating, which Reggie takes to mean that Veronica revealed to Archie how they kissed. However, in actuality, Archie only came to Reggie to see if he knew of a way to cheat on the SATs. Realizing that he’s exposed himself and Veronica, Reggie apologizes, reasoning that he and Veronica didn’t think Archie was ever coming back, though Archie doesn't stick around to hear him out.

Jughead finds Archie at his home to ask for his help in taking down Hiram Lodge. Jughead tells Archie that Tall Boy is the Gargoyle King and that they have him locked down in the bunker. This is their shot to finally smoke out Hiram, but they need bait, that being Archie, who agrees to play his role.

Archie, Jughead, FP, Sweet Pea, and Fangs hold Tall Boy at gun point and force him to make contact with Hiram. During which time, Tall Boy claims to have captured Archie. They schedule for Hiram to pick Archie up at the usual meeting place at 9 PM.

Betty calls the prison to find out more about whose been visiting her father since it wasn’t actually her mother. Betty asks for a description of the woman claiming to be her mother and visiting Hal. Betty discovers that Penelope Blossom has been assuming her mother’s identity and so she calls Penelope to meet her at Pop’s. Betty asks if she’s one of those sickos who fantasize about serial killers. As a young woman, Penelope admits to having wrote letters to Jeffrey Dahmer. Betty now wants to know why Penelope has been posing as her mother, to which Penelope answers that it’s the only way for conjugal visits. Betty then asks if Penelope’s ever told her father about ascension night, which she has. As for why he told the lie, claiming that he was there for it, Penelope believes it’s as simple as self-aggrandizement.

Betty confronts her father with the information she’s gathered, that he wasn’t at ascension night and that he only knows what he knows because Penelope told him. But still, Betty wonders why he would lie about killing Featherhead. Then, Betty realizes that he did it to keep her coming back to her. Hal claims to have missed Betty and their talks, though Betty has no desire to talk to him any further.

That night, dressed in the Gargoyle King suit, FP awaits Hiram’s arrival with Archie at his side and Jughead crouched behind the railing, waiting to make his move. However, they’re disappointed when it’s Claudius who has arrived to pick Archie up. Claudius attempts to make a run for it, but Jughead and Archie restrain him long enough for FP to make a citizens arrest.

Archie returns home to find Veronica sitting on his bed crying after she had learned from Reggie that Archie is aware of their kiss. Archie tells Veronica that she didn’t do anything wrong. When they broke up, Veronica was angry at her father for chasing Archie away, but she was mostly angry at Archie for not fighting to stay by her side. And the more time passed, the more Veronica got tired of missing Archie. And now that he’s back, Veronica can’t even sum up the words as this is the worst time to talk about it. Archie suggests that they don’t talk about it, instead finishing the conversation tomorrow. For tonight, he only wants to be with Veronica, and so they have sex.

Saturday has finally arrived and the gang must now take their SATs, this includes Archie, Jughead, Betty, Veronica, Reggie, Kevin, Lorcan, Jake, Kyle and Anya. Archie immediately begins to struggle with his test, so much so that he ups and leaves class without so much as a word. Veronica attempts to go check on him, but if she does, it’s an automatic zero. Archie rushes into the bathroom, hoping to regain a sense of reality. However, the more he thinks about all Hiram put him through, the angrier he becomes, to the point where Archie shatters the bathroom mirror with a single punch. Max walks in the bathroom and sees Archie break down.

"Are you okay, man?" Max asked Archie.

"No, I'm not. It's all Hiram's fault. All of it!" Archie answers in anger. "Wait, Why am I telling you this? Who are you?"

"I'm one of your classmates' brother, I'm Max Darcy." Max introduced himself.

"Wait, you're Lorcan's brother?" Archie asked.

"Yeah, Look, I know Veronica in the past, she was my sister's ex-girlfriend. She's gotten over her breakup with her boyfriend." Max said. "Sooner or later, if you and Veronica break up, you will date some other people."

"You're right." Archie said after calm down. "Where have you been when the town's under quarantine?"

"Brooklyn. Me, Lorcan and Dawn have to do something, like saving the world." Max said. "I just came here to wish my sister luck on the test. No matter what, you need to calm down."

Hiram assures Hermione over the phone that Claudius’ arrest is nothing they should concern themselves to with. That fact that it was a trap is the reason Hiram sent Claudius instead of himself. His instincts keep him alive, allowing him to always stay one step ahead of everyone else. Mere seconds later, Hiram is shot.

Betty enters the dining room to find her mother hosting some sort of get-together with several members of the Farm, Evelyn included. They’re celebrating. With a little help from Edgar’s connections, Alice got the job at the broadcasting station. Also, the Farm has found and bought its new headquarters. The Sisters of Quiet Mercy. Evelyn thanks Betty as it was her "donation" that paid for it. Evelyn hears her phone rings and answers it.

"Hello?" Evelyn said.

"Evelyn Evernever, member of the Farm and also one of my sister's killers." Lorcan said as for Evelyn's shocked.

"Lorcan? You're back in town?" Evelyn asked.

"That's right, consider this a warning. Nothing you send against me will stop me; and when we finally battle, believe me, victory will be mine! I'll avenge my sister's death, and you and Edgar will pay for hurting my family and friends in your sick little game!" Lorcan said to Evelyn as for her shocked that she's deadly swear revenge. "Tell Edgar that I'm coming for him."

Lorcan hangs up her phone as her siblings and half siblings smiles that she's back in action. 

Archie arrives at Riverdale General Hospital after receiving several frantic calls from Veronica. Hiram lays on a hospital bed, unconscious, with Hermione at his side. They don’t know if he’ll recover as he just got out of surgery. Veronica informs Archie that her father was shot some time after Archie ran out the SATs, leading her to believe that Archie may be the shooter. Archie denies doing anything of the sorts and can’t believe that Veronica would think he did. With this, both he and Veronica realizes that their relationship is over.

Jughead returns to the bunker to find Tall Boy dead and Sweet Pea and Fangs in a panicked state. Fangs explains that Tall Boy tried to escape and he accidentally shot him. And now they don’t know what to do. Jughead tells them both to shut up long enough for him to think. He comes up with an idea to throw a party.

At the Andrews house, Fred notes that Archie must be relieved that Hiram will be out of commission, at least for the time being, but Archie isn’t. He’s still upset over his breakup with Veronica. Not to mention that he walked out of the SATs. Archie can’t pretend that everything is the same as it was before. His father asks how he got through juvie and the wilderness, having spent all that time alone. Archie fought everyday and didn’t ever stop. Fred advises him to continue fighting then.

After Claudius is found dead in his cell at the sheriff station, FP is called to the hospital by Hermione, who explains that Hiram is stable, but that’s not why she called FP down. She tells him that it’s time.

Despite being so adamant against seeing her father again, Betty does just that, by going down to the prison to vent. No one else understands what her mother is capable of except her father. She gave all Betty’s money away as if her education meant nothing. Hal is sorry as her education means everything, but the good news is that Betty will have colleges lining up to give her scholarships. He recalls that the SATs has just passed, asking how Betty did. She thinks she did well.

As Veronica watches over her father, who lays in his bed unconscious, she receives a visit from Reggie, whose come to offer moral support, and so they hug.

As planned, Jughead, Sweet Pea, and Fangs throw a party at Sunnyside Trailer Park for the Serpents. Jughead instructs them to remain composed. As far as anyone knows, Tall Boy was exiled. Jughead then makes an announcement as they have a lot to celebrate. They finally unmasked the Gargoyle King and Hiram Lodge is down for the count. Lastly, they’re welcoming back one of their own, Fangs. Their celebratory partying is interrupted by the sound of police sirens sounding. Again, Sweet Pea and Fangs become concerned. However, much to their surprise the law enforcer is actually FP, who has been appointed the new sheriff of Riverdale.

Lorcan, Jake, Kyle, Anya, Jenny, Max, Dawn, Molly and Toby gathered around in Lorcan's bedroom as the plan to seek revenge on the Farm.

"Okay, here's what we gonna do. We have a huge mission coming up ever since the town was under quarantine. We have a huge plan against the Farm once and for all. Jake is going undercover as a new member, thanks for doing this for us, Jakey." Lorcan said.

"You're welcome." Jake said. "Now, I'm going undercover as a Farmie to get some information. I'll give you guys some update." 

"Yeah, don't do it." Kyle said. "I'm out of the group.

Lorcan, Max, Jake and Anya laugh along with the others.

"Just like you tried to leave almost six years ago." Lorcan said.

"It's because I don't want to go without our parents permission." Kyle said.

"You're good, Kyle, but not good enough. In fact, you're an idiot. I should've dump you long ago." Anya said that she should've dumped him.

"What?!" Kyle said in shocked.

"Relax, Kyle, chill out. Get your undies out of your buns." Lorcan said while laughing. "Now, Jake, I'm gonna give you this mini-camera to record more footage. We'll watch it from here. It will finish off our investigation after six years."

"I'll do my best." Jake said to the others as he takes the camera.

The following morning, Archie has resorted back to working out his aggression on a punching bag. He takes a couple sips of alcohol and then continues to fight. Fred enters having been woken up by the noise, joking that of Archie hits the bag any more that Alice will file a noise complaint. He then remarks that Archie’s room looks like a cell, though Archie insists that he is fine.


	3. The Red Dahlia

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After one of their own becomes the target of an unseen assailant, the gang works together to get to the bottom of Riverdale's latest mystery. Meanwhile, Betty works with a surprising ally to piece together clues about a series of deaths in the town. Elsewhere, a spiraling Archie sets out on a new path, while Jughead comes face to face with Ms. Mulwray, Hiram's alleged mistress.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lorcan's absent in the chapter

n the Blue and Gold offices sits Jughead, typing away on his typewriter, documenting the sinister turn of events, one after another, that lead from Riverdale being a once decent and innocent place, to a noir town. A town of lost souls, each of them with a secret of their own that they’re trying to desperately keep. Jughead for instance, along with Sweet Pea and Fangs, are hiding Tall Boy’s death from FP. Unbeknownst to him, Tall Boy’s body lays under the bed as Jughead, Sweet Pea and Fangs fabricate a story, claiming that they drove Tall Boy to a bus station at gunpoint and forced him out of town. However, FP isn’t buying it considering Tall Boy murdered Joaquin. However, the boys stick to their stories. And with FP’s hands already full in search of Hiram’s would-be assassin, he lets it go, at least for the time being.

After discovering that Claudius Blossom has died while in his cell, Betty became infuriated, taking her anger and concern to her father. The Lodge Ledger is calling Claudius’ death a suicide, but Betty believes he was murdered, and suspects that Penelope Blossom was the culprit. Hal remarks that poison does in fact suit Penelope. But he can’t help but wonder why Betty is asking questions to begin with when no one else is. Betty explains that it’s wrong and that Penelope’s been getting away with murder for years. Darryl Doiley was poisoned with Oleander. Featherhead and the Sisters of Quiet Mercy were poisoned as well. Betty’s already found the pattern of murders disguised as suicides, so now Hal asks who else close to Penelope has died by suicide. Betty realizes that the only other person was Clifford Blossom, who hung himself. Hal wonders if that’s the entire story. Aside from Penelope, Cheryl was also there. So if there’s a witness then it’s not a perfect murder and Betty has a chance at proving her suspicions.

Meanwhile, Archie no longer feels under attack by Hiram, but he’s still haunted and struggles for his search of a purpose. And so, after thinking it over, reveals to his father that he’s having second thoughts on college, and now he would rather return to work at Andrews Construction. While there’s no shame in hard work, Fred questions Archie’s sudden change in heart. After everything he’s been through in the last few months, Archie wants to work with his hands and make peace with things. As luck would have it, Archie is back working on-site within the hour. With a sledgehammer in hand, Archie goes to work, slamming down on the concrete as his only sense of relief. Even when Vic calls for a break, Archie continues, this leads to a confrontation as Archie shoves Vic, which results in Vic kicking Archie off his crew.

With Hiram laid up in the hospital, just barely hanging onto life, the Lodge family has become vulnerable. While at La Bonne Nuit, Veronica is visited by Elio, who’s brought flowers on his family’s behalf. Elio claims that he delivered the flowers personally to let Veronica know that he’s hoping that Hiram pulls through. However, Veronica informs Elio that reports of her father’s death have been greatly exaggerated. Nonetheless, Elio warns Veronica about the potential attacks from other families as many are eager to swoop in on Hiram’s territory. Jobs like the hit on Hiram are very rare to go unfinished.

Jughead’s writing is interrupted as Veronica enters the Blue and Gold with a job for him. She wants him to find out who shot her father. She pays him half the money upfront and assures him he’ll get the other half when he provides the name of the shooter. Veronica even gives him his first suspect, that being her own mother. Veronica recalls an argument between her parents just a few weeks ago that happened just before the quarantine when she had her seizure. She walked in on her mother berating her father on breaking a promise.

Following Veronica’s directions, Jughead goes down to Town Hall to question the mayor, immediately asking if she shot Hiram, which Hermione claims to have had no involvement in. As records and witnesses will attest, she was on the phone with Hiram when he was shot. Jughead then asks what she and Hiram were arguing about when Veronica had her seizure. Hermione claims that Hiram was having an affair. She had become suspicious a while back and had Minetta follow him. He gave Hermione multiple photos of Hiram with a mysterious blonde woman. Apparently, Hiram was meeting her regularly at the Five Seasons. Hermione then asked him to end the affair and he supposedly did. She is sharing all this with Jughead because she has nothing to hide. She allows Jughead to keep the photos, alluding to the fact that maybe it was Hiram’s mistress that shot him, bitter after the breakup.

After having picked a fight with Vic the day before, Fred bans Archie from the job site. Archie claims he was only trying to do his job, but Fred isn’t interested in hearing it. Vic has been with him for a long time and Fred trusts him, but Archie doesn’t seem to care, walking off instead of communicating with his father. Fred then confronts Archie over the alcohol he found in his bedroom, to which Archie doesn’t stay to discuss, abruptly exiting the house.

Betty attends Claudius’ funeral at Thistlehouse. There, she joins Cheryl, Toni, Penelope, and Nana Rose. At the podium, Penelope states that Claudius was never welcomed to Riverdale and that this is likely why he killed himself. Betty takes a seat next to Nana Rose, who is unconvinced by Penelope’s supposed grief. Afterward, Cheryl confronts Betty as she is well aware that Betty has ulterior motives for attending. Betty admits that she came to talk to Cheryl because people connected to her mother keep dying by poison or strange suicide, including her father. However, Cheryl has no interest in entertaining Betty, stating that her father’s death was nothing more than a suicide. Toni then approaches Betty, telling her to back off as Cheryl’s been through enough.

Sweet Pea and Fangs call Jughead back into the bunker to inform him that the Gargoyle Gang is riled up and looking for Tall Boy. And as long as his body is in the bunker, they’re all in danger. Unfortunately, it’s too risky to move him at the moment. Jughead orders Fangs to stay back with Tall Boy and lock the bunker down as he’ll need Sweet Pea to tail Hermione Lodge.

At Riverdale General, with the mob underworld smelling blood in the water, Veronica attempts to present a strong front, hoping to control the narrative, though Nico and Leo believe it may be too late for that. People are already talking as no one has seen Hiram lately and no one is collecting the vig, which angers Veronica. She wants to start collecting immediately but Nico and Leo have other ideas. They think it might be in the Lodges' best interest to align with Elio’s family, the Grandes. However, Veronica is very much against this. But as they remind her, Hiram took a bullet two inches from his heart and that their next move could be their last. So, she needs to be realistic. Rather than hearing them out, Veronica fires Nico and Leo, citing their inability to do their jobs.

After firing their last two capos, Veronica calls forth her inner circle, that being Reggie and Smithers. They need to show strength during a time of weakness. Smithers recalls a moment back in the trenches, where their numbers were greatly diminished and their enemy could storm the barricade at any moment. And so Smithers collected the helmets from their dead and propped them atop of their bayonets, high enough to create the illusion that their numbers were greater than they actually were, causing their enemies to pause. From that, Veronica comes up with an idea that’ll require Smithers’ bus driver cap.

Together, Betty and Jughead pick up the trail on Hiram’s mysterious blonde mistress. Starting at the Five Seasons. She may have wanted revenge after Hiram broke it off with her. Betty’s investigation into Claudius’ death is on hold until she hears back from Dr. Curdle Jr. Turns out there wasn’t an autopsy on Claudius. Penelope had him cremated, but Betty is hopeful that there’s something of use in Clifford’s autopsy report. The two of them come across a room with a glowing red emblem on the door. They knock, and when no one answers, they decide to let themselves in. They seem to have stumbled onto some kind of sex club. They meet a young lady named Laura. She explains they’ve entered what is known as the Maple Club. Jughead shows her a picture of Hiram’s mistress, and while initially reluctant, after Jughead bribes her with money, Laura reveals that she’s seen the woman before, telling them to try room 311. As they’re on their way out, Betty and Jughead bump into Penelope, who demands that they both leave. Betty and Jughead confront Penelope over her brothel, threatening to inform his dad should she not cooperate. In hopes of keeping Betty and Jughead quiet, Penelope agrees to answer their questions.

When Betty accuses Penelope of exploiting women, Penelope retorts that the women whom she chooses to employ aren’t victims. At the Maple Club, it is the men who suffer, as they specialize in domination. The ladies are making enough money to start new lives. While this may be true, Betty accuses Penelope of only helping herself, which she doesn’t deny. No one else has, Penelope explains. When she was eight years old, she was plucked from the Sisters of Quiet Mercy by the Blossom family. Jughead wonders if this could be motive and if Penelope killed the Sisters, though she claims to have done no such thing. Furthermore, it was the Monsignor who sold her, not the Sisters. As for Claudius, all Penelope knows is that he committed suicide. Even if it was murder, she maintains that it wasn’t her doing as she was right there at the Maple Club.

Afterward, as Betty and Jughead leave the hotel room, Betty is still very much suspicious of Penelope. Just as Jughead asks her to join him as he goes to check out room 311, Betty gets a message from Dr. Curdle. Jr., calling for her immediate attention, so the two part ways.

As Josie sings on stage at La Bonne Nuit, Archie drinks his pain away at the bar, with Reggie serving him. Reggie then declines to serve Archie any further as he requests another drink. He does, however, offer to call Archie cab, explaining that Veronica’s dealing with enough as it is, she doesn’t need Archie making a scene. As Archie begins to become unruly, he is roughed up by security, though Josie comes to his rescue, seeing Archie out and taking him home. Josie takes Archie into his bathroom and dumps him in the tub before turning on the cold water as he needs a cold shower.

Veronica arrives at the docks. With Smithers as the driver and Reggie in the back with his face hidden and only the hat on his head visible as he impersonates Hiram, Veronica begins collecting from all the businesses her father has a hand in. And her ruse works like a charm.

Betty arrives at the coroner’s office, where she meets with Curdle, who informs her that Penelope Blossom requested that there be no autopsy on Clifford. But Dr. Curdle Jr. ‘s father did one regardless out of sheer curiosity. While there was bruising around the esophagus, consistent with that of a hanging victim, tetrodotoxin, pufferfish venom, was also found in his bloodstream, meaning Clifford Blossom was already dead when he hung himself.

Josie concocts a home remedy consisting of lemon, ginger, and cayenne to sober Archie up. She asks where his dad is, to which Archie says that he’s at work. Archie would be too if he didn’t get fired after his first day for picking a fight. So, he went to drown his sorrows. While they didn’t talk much last year and she can’t even attempt to guess the hell Archie’s been through, Josie suggests that Archie channel his anger into something constructive like music. Or, if he’s in the mood to hit things, she recommends that he join Kevin’s dad, who boxes at the gym. Either way, Archie has to deal with his demons head-on. Archie agrees that he has to face this head-on, and there’s one person he hasn’t faced since returning to town, that being Hiram.

While entering the day’s take into her father’s ledger, Veronica discovers a shady collection of invoices and receipts with her mother’s name on them, and so Veronica takes it upon herself to confront her mother. In digging a little deeper, Veronica discovered that her mother is a part of her father’s Fizzle Rocks empire. She also ordered the quarantine and paid the invoices. Hermione has an answer for all this. She found out that Hiram and Claudius were making drugs in the new prison and the Blossom maple factory. So, she told him to shut it down. She evens helped him create a distraction so that he could do it quickly and cleanly i.e. the quarantine. But then, Hiram lied to Hermione and took this opportunity to consolidate everything into the prison. Hermione wants no part of it just the same as Veronica. With them on the same page, Veronica comes up with a plan to destroy the Fizzle Rocks and the means of production, and burn it to the ground. However, Hermione recommends selling it. She already has a buyer lined up. He’s willing to take the drugs, the lab, and everything else.

Betty returns to the Maple Club to confront Penelope for murdering Clifford and Claudius. Betty knows everything, how she faked Clifford’s hanging and lied to the police. Betty presents Penelope with the proof; Clifford’s autopsy, which states that he was poisoned by pufferfish venom. While Betty may think she knows what Penelope has done, Penelope wonders if Betty has ever questioned why. Betty surmises that it’s simply because Penelope’s a serial killer who poisons people. Penelope corrects Betty in saying that she poisons men. She’s not admitting anything but they are the true poison. Clifford killed her son. Darryl was a Judas. And Claudius was a terrible man. He was responsible for all the seizures. Claudius was running a Fizzle Rocks operation from the Blossoms maple factory and dumping the runoff in Sweetwater River. The runoff from the manufacturing of the drug caused all the seizures, not the drug itself. As for why it only affected girls, not even Penelope had the answer to that. However, tests of the Sweetwater Reservoir were ordered and faked. But Claudius had every intention of continuing to poison the town with drugs. Just because someone’s a horrible person, doesn’t give her the right to kill them, Betty says. However, Penelope disagrees. Moreover, Betty did just that by handing Chic over to the Black Hood. So, if Betty insists on turning Penelope in, she’ll gladly do the same to Betty

Jughead gets caught after breaking into Hiram’s mistress’ room and rummaging through her work files. He picks up her Glamerge egg as she pulls out her gun and confronts him. While being held at gunpoint, Jughead explains that he’s only there to talk, calling her by her name, Mrs. Mulwray. She is forced to lower her weapon as Jughead points out that shooting him would result in the egg dropping to the ground and breaking. Jughead’s seen an egg just like it. Hiram likes to give them out as gifts, or as it seems in this case, payment. Mulwray admits that this is true and that the egg costs more than Jughead will ever know. Based on the things Jughead has found in her room, he knows that she’s a Health and Sanitation Inspector. The report says that she was sent to investigate Riverdale’s water supply, specifically the Sweetwater River and the reservoir. Given all the recent young women who had seizures in town, Mulwray was sent in to fix it. Sent in by Hiram, that is. He also made her write that letter to Governor Dooley, advising him to support the town-wide quarantine, Jughead concludes. Jughead’s also confused because the letter she wrote says the water is dirty but the report says the water is clean. So, she’s either lying to the governor or she faked the report. Or both. Mrs. Mulwray grows tired of Jughead’s accusations, telling him to leave before she calls security. Jughead leaves of his own free will, tossing up the egg as he exits. Mulwray manages to catch it, fortunately.

Jughead then returns to the Blue and Gold to continue his writing, as he wonders why Hiram is faking water test reports and what he was hiding. And what any of it had to do with him getting shot. Jughead then gets a call from Sweet Pea, who’s followed Hermione Lodge as Jughead asked of him. Jughead meets Sweet Pea in the woods, just outside an old cabin. Just inside is Hermione, who is having an affair with Minetta, who was previously thought to be dead. From what Sweet Pea’s gathered, he and Hermione have been together for months. Just inside, Hermione informs Minetta that too many people are asking questions, which means that their problem, that being Hiram, needs to be taken out. She wants Minetta to use his old Sheriff’s gun. Then all signs will point to FP. Back outside the cabin, Jughead runs off to warn his dad as Sweet Pea stays behind to gather more intel.

Archie arrives at Riverdale General, entering Hiram’s room with a loaded gun and shutting the door behind him.

Jughead finds his father at the sheriff station and warns him of Hermione’s plan to frame him for Hiram’s murder. FP is in disbelief as he too was under the impression that Minetta was dead. He and Hermione plan on finishing Hiram off and pinning it on FP. Before arriving at the station, Jughead stopped by the coroner’s office to confront Curdle. A week ago, the torso of Minetta supposedly was found without its head and hands. Jughead demanded answers as to who told Curdle to fake Minetta’s death. Curdle revealed that he was told to do so by Hermione. With that, Jughead then came to the station. They’re going to try to put this all on FP, which is why he has to arrest them. Unfortunately, he can’t, as it was FP who shot Hiram. Hermione came to him as she wanted Hiram dead as well. FP hadn’t forgotten about riot night when the Ghoulies nearly killed Jughead, and he wanted revenge for that. But if he and Hermione tried to kill Hiram, then why would she appoint him Sheriff, Jughead asks. FP explains that it was his payment. Luckily for FP, Jughead has an idea, which will require Alice’s help. But Jughead first reveals that Tall Boy is dead.

Archie stands over an unconscious Hiram and contemplates killing him. Archie points his gun, but as he does, someone enters the room, forcing Archie to retreat to the corner. Unbeknownst to Archie, it is Minetta. Archie can not make out who the intruder is as he is wearing a mask but it is clear that he is there to finish Hiram, and though this what Archie came to do as well, he stops the attack, shooting Hiram’s attacker and scaring him off.

Hermione arrives at the sheriff station to find Alice preparing FP for his interview. FP announces that they’ve caught Hiram’s shooter. He claims it was Tall Boy. It seems that Hiram kept him alive in a secret cabin in the north to carry out odd jobs for him. Tall Boy allegedly resisted arrest and got violent, forcing FP to discharge his firearm, and thus Tall Boy died on the way to the hospital. Alice then tells Hermione that she would like to interview her next to get a better understanding of her perspective as both the mayor and wife of the victim. Realizing that she has been outsmarted, Hermione is forced to play along.

Veronica goes to Reggie with her suspicion that her mother may have hired someone to shoot her father so that she could make a profit from the sale of his drug operation. So, Veronica devises a plan to break into the prison, burn the drugs and destroy the equipment before her mother can sell it. Veronica then gets a call from Archie, and she leaves Reggie to meet him.

Once there, Archie updates her on the attack on her father’s life. After checking in on her father, Veronica hugs Archie. While she’s grateful for his actions, she asks what Archie was doing there. Archie lies and tells her that he came looking for her, to apologize for his actions at the speakeasy. Veronica also apologizes for ever thinking that Archie would’ve shot her father. While there may have been a time when he would’ve, Archie doesn’t hate Hiram anymore. Veronica then informs Archie that her father’s awake and that he’d like to speak with him. But before Archie goes in, Veronica reminds him that she’ll always be there for him if he ever needs a shoulder. Archie and Hiram meet face-to-face for the first time since Archie’s return to Riverdale. Veronica told Hiram how Archie saved his life from an armed, masked, assailant. While they’ve been locked in a battle for some time now, Archie never set out to be his enemy. All he wants now is to live in Riverdale in peace. With that, Hiram sees no reason for them to continue fighting, so he proposes a truce. He won’t move against Archie so long as Archie doesn’t move against him. Archie agrees and the two shake on it.

Veronica meets back up with Reggie, and together, they burn all the Fizzle Rocks. As for what she'll tell her parents when they ask, Veronica says that she'll tell them the truth. Or maybe she won't.

Betty’s encounter with Penelope has shaken her world view and there was only one person she could talk to about it, that being her father. Betty reveals to Hal that she found proof of Penelope killing Clifford. Hal is impressed, asking what Betty plans to do next. But, not even she knows. She thought that she would turn Penelope in, but hearing her talk, seeing how she’s living her life and how she’s been twisted, Betty almost feels pity for her. Hal explains that he and Penelope are products of their environment. Raised by those who taught them a twisted sense of right from wrong. Hal asks if Betty still believes that Penelope’s a monster who deserves to be in jail. However, Betty isn’t sure. Maybe not every murderer is guilty and maybe not every victim is innocent, Betty says. She starts to interpret the world in shades of grey rather than black and white. Hal wonders if one day Betty will ever manage to see him in that same compassionate light.

Archie approaches Josie at the bar and thanks her for taking care of him and setting him straight when he got drunk. He’d been thinking about her advice in regards to doing something constructive, and Josie reassures him that Kevin’s dad would be more than willing to box with him. Archie then asks Josie if she would be up to jamming out together like they used to. She happily agrees, but only if Archie sings back up.

Hermione confronts Veronica after discovering that she burned all the Fizzle Rocks. Veronica admits that she, along with Reggie destroyed the drugs and equipment. Hermione reminds Veronica that she had a buyer lined up and that they paid in advance. However, Veronica isn’t too concerned, suggesting that her mother just give the money back to the buyer. However, she can’t. Hermione used the money to pay off Governor Dooley to keep their names clean. The buyer's coming. And when they find out there aren’t any drugs, they’ll want blood. Veronica changes the subject from what she did to what her mother did and the fact that she’s not the only one who knows it.

Hermione finds Jughead at the Blue and Gold after realizing his involvement in it all. Jughead reveals what he’s learned, that Hiram’s mistress works for the Sanitation Department, and doctored false water reports for him. Jughead also knows about the runoff of the Fizzle Rocks manufactured in the Blossom maple factory. How it poisoned Sweetwater River, thus the cause for the seizure. That’s why Hiram had to doctor those reports, to cover himself. It’s also why he moved his drug lab to the prison, away from the water supply. Jughead surmises that Hermione was upset about his drug lab and what it was doing to all the girls in town. Soon after, she hired Jughead’s dad to shoot Hiram. And when that didn’t work, she tried to finish the job with Minetta and frame Jughead’s dad. As for why she did it, it was for Veronica, as Hermione knew he was responsible for her seizure. Hermione admits all this is true. Although, Jughead's forgetting one thing. Last year, Hiram hired Tall Boy to take shots at her during the mayoral debate. Jughead takes this to mean that the shot at Hiram’s life all stemmed behind revenge and that after he was dead, that Hermione would run off with Minetta to have a happy little life together. Unfortunately for Jughead, he can’t tell anyone about this because if Hermione goes down, she’ll take his father down with her. And so, the two will have to keep each other's secret.

Hermione lays in bed with Minetta in the hidden cabin in the woods. As she gets up, he asks her to get him a cigarette. He then wonders what they’re going to do about FP and Jughead as they’re loose ends. Hermione, in her own attempt to tie up loose ends, kills Minetta, firing five rounds.

As Jughead finishes his writing, Veronica joins him in the Blue and Gold to find out who shot her father. After he woke up, it was the first thing he asked. Veronica told him it was Tall Boy, and she thinks he bought it. So, if it’s good enough for her father, it’s good enough for her. With that, Veronica gives Jughead the second half of his payment. As she exits, he asks if she wants to know who really shot her father, but she doesn’t care, simply stating "Forget it, Jughead. It’s Riverdale."


	4. Bizarrodale

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Amidst preparations for their upcoming wedding, Sierra and Tom receive an unsettling message, which forces "The Midnight Club" to reunite. Meanwhile, Veronica and Reggie take drastic measures to clean up a mess they created. Cheryl learns some unexpected news about the college she has set her sights on. Lorcan's happy that she got her scores are good enough to land her in UCLA with her friends. Lastly, Kevin gives Moose an ultimatum.

Betty, Jughead, Archie, and Veronica sit in a booth at Pop’s, enjoying their meal and having conversation. Behind their booth, Lorcan, Jake, Kyle and Anya prepare for their upcoming plan against the Farm. Just a few feet away sit Sierra, Tom, Josie, and Kevin. Sierra and Tom reveal that they don’t want a big wedding, both having just finalized their respective divorces. Not to mention the Gargoyle King’s constant lingering presence. Tom and Sierra would prefer to keep it simple and get marred at Town Hall. While Josie and Kevin fully disagree, they respect their parents' decision. However, at the very least, Josie and Kevin would like to throw them an after-party at La Bonne Nuit. Tom and Sierra reluctantly agree to a small party. As Moose enters the diner with his father, Major Marcus Mason, Sierra and Tom take the opportunity to invite them to the wedding, though Marcos doesn’t appear to be too enthusiastic, almost brushing off the invite. Tom explains to Josie and Kevin that he and Marcus used to be good friends, as they both were in RROTC together. But, they grew apart. Sierra surmises that this was due to Marcus being jealous of her and Tom’s relationship as he had a crush on Sierra.

Toni and Cheryl lay in bed, simply enjoying each other’s company and the fact that they’re laying in an actual bed. While Toni doesn’t miss the mud or cold of Sunnyside Trailer Park, she does miss the Serpents. They both receive simultaneous alerts on their phones, sounding the arrival of their SAT scores. Fortunately for Cheryl, her grades are good enough to land her in Highsmith College. The women of her family have gone their for generations, and Cheryl doesn’t intend to break Blossom tradition. As for Toni, Cheryl remarks that her score is flawless.

Lorcan is nervous about her SAT score. All her friends' scores are good enough to land them in UCLA. She took a deep breath. She said "Here I go." before checking her scores. 

"1475..." Lorcan said as she looks at her results and smiles.

"I knew it!" Bill said in smiling as he enters the place.

"I've scored 1475!" Lorcan said while smiling. "I'm going to UCLA!"

"Lorcan, I am so proud of you. You can get to graduate." Bill said while giving his own daughter a hug. "What's your plan before you go to college?"

"My revenge plan is going to be continue." Lorcan said.

Hermione calls Reggie and Veronica down to Town Hall since the two of them decided to take it upon themselves to burn all the Fizzle Rocks that she had already sold. Since this is their fault, Hermione has decided to make them responsible for paying back the money that’s owed. Hermione suggests that they start with the speakeasy’s coffers. However, as Veronica explains, they don’t make nearly enough to pay it off, though this is no longer Hermione’s problem. She recommends Veronica come up with the money fast as the buyer has a reputation for being dangerously unhinged. Veronica asks who the buyer is, but Hermione refuses to tell her, only explaining that they’re sending an intermediary. As for how much money they owe, Hermione hands Reggie and Veronica a piece of paper with the exact amount on it and it is indeed a heavy sum.

  
Cheryl has an interview at Highsmith college in order to determine her acceptance. She’s successfully balanced her duties as Captain of the River Vixens and president of the student body while maintaining a 4.2 GPA, perfect attendance and achieving an almost perfect SAT score. For these reasons, Cheryl believes that she’s an exemplary candidate for Highsmith college. Not to mention that she's legacy. While this may be true, most recently, Highsmith’s Board of Directors have decided it’s time to diversify their student body with women outside the alumni pool.

Kevin and Moose find time to make out in an empty classroom. Kevin stop to ask Moose if he’ll be his date to his dad’s wedding. Kevin’s aware that this is a public event and that Moose hasn’t yet come out to his father, but he thinks it might be time as the two of them have been together since the start of summer. While Kevin enjoys their clandestine meetings, he can’t help but think of all the things they’re missing out on, such as spending the night together. Moose would like to but he’s too scared. Their time together comes to an end as Major Mason and the other cadets enter the room. He informs them that the meeting with the Navel Academy recruitment officer is about to start.

  
Sweet Pea receives a surprise visit from Josie. She enters his trailer to invite him to her mother’s wedding, though he mistakes her unexpected arrival as a booty call as it wouldn’t be the first one they’ve had since their summer fling ended. However, this is not the case. Josie was hoping that Sweet Pea would be her date to the wedding. He hopes this means that they’re officially together, but Josie would rather it not be so official. Admittedly, Sweet Pea likes her and would be all in with her without a second thought, but he’s not built for her to just slide back into his life whenever she doesn’t want to be alone.

  
Cheryl arrives at the Five Seasons and enters the Maple Club to confront her mother for her efforts to sabotage Cheryl’s admission to Highsmith. Cheryl spoke to the Headmistress, who enlightened her about a new policy that seems designed specifically to keep Cheryl from attending. Penelope admits that this was her doing. The harrowed halls of Highsmith shall not be polluted by someone of Cheryl’s alignment. Penelope calls her an aberration. With that, Cheryl’s attempts to blackmail her mother, stating that the alumni newsletter would be thrilled to profile a twice-widowed dominatrix with a proclivity for poison. However, with the hefty financial gifts that Penelope has bestowed open them over the years, she doubts they would care, and then tells Cheryl to accept that she will not be accepted into Highsmith.

  
Alone in the room, Sierra and Tom role play in bed. She is a law enforcement officer and he is the suspect. She then gets up to get a snack. In doing so, she discovers a message left for them from the Gargoyle King. It’s a letter, congratulating them on their upcoming nuptials. However, if they wish to live long enough to see the blessed event, they must reunite with the Midnight Club to complete Ascension Night once and for all. Lastly, the letter reads tell no one or their children will pay the price.

  
Cheryl finds Kevin in the student lounge eating his sorrows away. She tells him to put down the candy and share with her his tale of woe. Kevin explains that he and Moose have been having problems. The "Koose" ship has been trouble from the start , Cheryl believes. She suggests that Kevin move on, to which he replies that he can’t go back to Fox Forest. Cheryl wasn’t referring to cruising. She’s talking about Bumble. A dating app. There, Cheryl’s sure Kevin can find someone more his speed. Kevin admits that would be nice, but he likes Moose. Kevin just wishes Moose would be honest with his dad so they could openly date, but Major Mason’s not a big fan on their persuasion. This upsets Cheryl, as she can’t believe there are still people who believe that being gay is anything less than rapturous. Kevin starts to think that Moose doesn’t like him enough to come out, but Cheryl assures him that this is due to no fault of his own. Moreover, she thinks Moose may be in need of a subtle nudge.

  
Persistent in helping Kevin further his relationship with Moose, Cheryl takes it upon herself to make an announcement. As Riverdale High’s first openly lesbian Student Body President, she announces that the launch of a new club, an LGBTQIA alliance, with the mission to find and support their fellow queer and questioning students. Kevin and Moose listen from class and Toni from the hallway as Cheryl continues. This weeks blind item will be on theme. Cheryl exposes that an all-American RROTC cadet is afraid to come out of the the closet. This concerns both Kevin and Moose, as well as Toni.

  
Moose pulls Kevin into the hallway to ask if he put Cheryl up to that, which Kevin denies having down anything of the sorts. He’s opposed to publicly outing people. Moose worries that people will start to guess it's him that Cheryl was referring to. Putting aside what Cheryl did, they’ve been together for a while, Kevin can’t keep this relationship going if Moose refuses to come out the closet. And so, Kevin gives Moose an ultimatum. Either he comes out to his dad or he and Kevin have to break up.

  
Outraged by Cheryl’s announcement, Toni confronts her for outing Moose. Though, Cheryl appears to be completely oblivious to her wrongdoing. Toni explains that Moose’s father could’ve heard that announcement, which could be bad for him. Cheryl only seems to be concerned with herself, realizing that she and Toni are having their first fight. Toni tells Cheryl to get some perspective. Toni shares how her uncle hated the fact that she dated girls. That’s why the Serpents, acting as a surrogate family, were so important to her. Cheryl apologizes, though Toni is still very much outraged. She understands that Cheryl’s mad at her mom and even more upset that she’s not going to Highsmith college, which for the record Toni could never get into or afford. Highsmith college was Cheryl’s legacy and the Serpents were Toni’s. Now they’re not. Cheryl claims that she’ll fix everything as Toni is the most important person in her life.

  
Archie finds Josie sitting alone in the music room and decides to join her. She reveals to him that there’s a recruiter for Julliard holding local auditions and Josie’s slot is this afternoon. Archie assures her she’s going to do great, but Josie isn’t even certain how she’ll get there. It’s at Seaside, and she just assumed Sweet Pea would give her a ride, but she didn’t even get a chance to ask him. Archie questions if Josie and Sweet Pea are together, but as Josie informs him, she had to end it so that she could focus on her music. Which is what she always does. So much so that she’s pushed everyone away. She can’t even ask her mom for a ride because she doesn’t even know about the audition. If Josie told her and she didn’t perform well, then her mother would start asking about her backup plans, which Josie doesn’t have. Archie volunteers to take Josie in his jalopy.

  
Time is running and Veronica and Reggie have yet to come up with a way to pay back the mysterious buyer, whose Fizzle Rocks they burned. Veronica’s combined her liquid funds from Pop’s and La Bonne Nuit. Even with that, they’re not even close. Reggie suggests robbing a bank, which Veronica is opposed to as they tend to have round-the-clock guards with guns. Instead of robbing a bank, Reggie comes up with a robbery on a smaller scale. He wants to rob his father’s dealership, where he keeps a safe. Veronica is initially against this, as she does want Reggie stealing from his own family. Reggie explains that everything is insured, so his dad will receive a nice pay out, which is more than he deserves for all the black eyes he’s given Reggie over the years. His father’s security is only on duty at night, after closing, so they can hit the lot during the day, while his dad is usually at Pop’s with a customer, trying to close a sale. Veronica recommends that he wear a Gargoyle mask, so as not to get recognized. Veronica even offers to join Reggie as the getaway driver. They then share a kiss.

  
Tom, Sierra, Penelope, Hermione, Fred, Marty, Alice, and FP meet at the Five Seasons to discuss the letters that they all received, demanding they finish Ascension Night. Hermione thought that FP caught the Gargoyle King. However, as FP explains, Tall Boy was only using the game as cover to deal drugs. He wasn’t the original Gargoyle King. The one who set up the chalices when they played in high school. Hermione is in disbelief that they’re actually taking these letters seriously, but Tom believes it to be in the best interest of the kids. Alice, much like Hermione, is against playing, as she reminds everyone what happened last Ascension Night. Featherhead ended up dead. However, as far as Penelope is concerned, they don’t have a choice. They all know why this is happening again; two members of the original Midnight Club are daring to get married, and the Gargoyle King wants to destroy that. If they don’t finish the game now, the Gargoyle King may never leave them alone. FP agrees, and hopefully, in playing, they can catch the Gargoyle King. Sierra informs them that the problem with this is that it says all members have to participate, which includes Hiram, who Hermione will retrieve. With that, they collectively decide to finish the game.

  
Josie arrives at her audition for Julliard and takes center stage. Archie watches from the back as she performs.

Veronica sits in the getaway car reading a book as gunshots ring throughout the neighborhood. In her rear view mirror, she sees Reggie, disguised in a Gargoyle mask, running towards the car with a bag of money. He’d been shot in the arm, though he’s alright, and so the two of them make their getaway.

  
With a mega plan in the works, Cheryl takes her first step, better known as "Fifty Shades of Blackmail", as she intends to blackmail her mother with the photos that Toni takes of the Maple Club, its clients and workers. However, they are almost immediately caught by Penelope, though not before Toni gets a few snaps. Penelope refuses to allow the girls to jeopardize her business. Cheryl demands that her mother step down from the Highsmith college board and revoke her ban on Cheryl’s admittance, otherwise, Cheryl and Toni will go public with the photos they’ve taken. Penelope isn’t concerned as she isn’t ashamed of her work. Penelope informs Cheryl that blackmail is far more illegal than anything that goes on in the Maple Club. Toni questions how Penelope’s clients will feel once she and Cheryl has published their names and photos.

  
Archie and Josie sit in a booth at Pops, where they await the results of Josie’s audition. Unfortunately, they are unable to invite her back for callbacks, which deeply upsets Josie as she sang her heart out for it still only not to be enough. She’s given up so much for this moment and kept telling herself that in the end, it would be worth it. She had built up so many walls just to focus on this one thing and now she’s all alone because of it. Archie assures Josie that she’s not alone. He’ll even accompany her to her mother's wedding. Archie’s been truly alone these last few months and can sympathize.

  
Veronica and Reggie return to La Bonne Nuit, where Veronica patches up Reggie’s wound, where he was grazed by a bullet. Reggie then opens the bag to see how much money they got away with only for the dye pack to explode, covering both Reggie and the money in blue dye.

Moose surprises Kevin with a kiss as the school day begins. He proceeds to reveal to Kevin that he came out to his dad. He was quiet and weird at first, but then seemed to come to terms with it. They then went to Pop’s and had a meal. This means that Moose can now be Kevin’s date to the wedding, and more importantly, they can spend the night together.

  
Cheryl returns to Highsmith college, where the Headmistress reveals that the school’s policy not to admit legacy candidates has been reconsidered, so they can now proceed with their interview. Cheryl’s aware that Headmistress Patricia only performs a limited number of one-on-one interviews, and with Cheryl’s qualifications, she’s obviously a shoo-in. Therefore, Cheryl wants to cede her time to Toni, who is also a worthy candidate for Highsmith. Cheryl introduces Toni to the Headmistress as future photojournalist and Nobel Peace Prize recipient. Cheryl then offers Toni a few words of encouragement and reminds her that this is only step two in her mega plan.

  
Veronica and Reggie wait at the meeting point for the mysterious buyer’s intermediary. It turns out to be Gladys Jones, Jughead’s mom, though neither Veronica nor Reggie are aware at the moment. Gladys exits her vehicle and approaches Veronica and Reggie. They throw the bag of money at her feet. Inside is only some of her money, all of which is covered in blue dye. Gladys correctly identifies Veronica as Hermione’s daughter. Gladys then introduces herself to them as Jughead's mother. Both Veronica and Reggie are shocked, though they take this opportunity to ask for more time to recover the rest of the money. Gladys admires the fact that the two of them came out there knowing they were short. It shows responsibility. Not to mention that they sort of remind Gladys of herself and FP back in the day. Gladys makes them a deal. Since she’ll be sticking around Riverdale for a while, she’ll take their dyed money, but she’s going to have to charge a fee because she’s going to have to get it laundered. And then they’ll figure out a payment plan for the rest of the money they owe. But in exchange, Gladys wants Reggie’s car. Lastly, she asks that they don’t tell Jughead about their business dealings. If they do, then she’s going to have to tell Hiram about Hermione going behind his back for a cut.

  
Cheryl approaches Moose at Pop’s to apologize for outing him. She admits that it was wrong and that it was a personal decision she never should’ve taken from him. Moose accepts her apology. And while what she did wasn’t right, it ended up benefiting Moose as he’s out with his dad now. On top of that, he and Kevin are finally going to spend the night together in the bunker. Cheryl suggests that Moose bring a fresh change of sheets as a lot of people have had sex on that cot.

  
The Midnight Club reunites one final time to finish what they started at Ascension Night. Alice, Penelope, FP, Fred, Tom, Sierra, and Marty sneak into the school through the window after hours. They decide to start the game by finding the chalices. Then they’ll flip for their fate and drink from the cups. Penelope has brought with her the antidote for cyanide. She gives everyone a vile to take, which will inoculate them for the next several hours. Hermione and Hiram, who now walks with a cane, join the others, though few are happy to see Hiram.

Kevin fills the bunker with candles in preparation for is night with Moose. Moose arrives with candles of his own and the two begin to kiss.

  
Alice and FP check the girls restroom for the chalices as that’s where Alice found them initially, but to no avail. Fred and Marty checked the trophy case, student lounge and the closet where they found Featherhead and also came up empty handed. The second floor is also clear according to Sierra and Tom. Same goes for the cafeteria and library, says Hiram and Hermione. Just as Alice questions the whereabouts of Penelope, she horrifically screams, gaining the rest of the Midnight Club’s attention. On the projector screen written in what appears to be blood is "Got You". And on the desk sits a bloody skull. They realize that they’ve been played. It’s just another iteration of the game. What the Gargoyle King wanted all along, to distract them and lure them all away from their kids. They all frantically grab their phones to call the kids.

  
At the Andrews house, Archie and Josie rehearse a song together. Their phones ring simultaneously. It is Josie’s mother and Archie’s father. When Josie reveals that she’s rehearsing with Archie, Fred then instructs Archie to lock the doors to the house. Archie replies that the doors are already locked, but now he's worried, asking what’s wrong. At the Pembrooke, as Veronica and Reggie are about to have sex, their phones ring. It’s Veronica’s mother and Reggie’s father. Reggie worries that maybe his dad knows that it was him who robbed the dealership. At the Cooper house, as Betty and Jughead are in the middle of having sex, they both get calls from their parents, asking where are they. Toni and Cheryl’s make out session at Thistlehouse is interrupted as Cheryl gets a call from her mother, who tells her to keep her bow close as the Gargoyle King may be after them. Everyone’s accounted for with the exception of Kevin, which worries Tom, and so Penelope asks Cheryl if she knows where Kevin is.

  
Meanwhile, Kevin and Moose lay up next to each other in the bunker. Part of Kevin thought that it was never going to happen, but he’s glad it did. The bunker door then opens. Kevin initially believes it to be Betty, and so he tells her that he’s reserved the bunker. However, he and Moose get out of bed to discover that it’s not Betty, but in fact the Gargoyle Gang. They shine red lights in Kevin and Moose’s faces before attacking them.

  
Kevin and Moose are taken to a clearing, where they Gargoyle King awaits their arrival. Before them sits two chalices. The Gargoyle King wants them to flip for their fate. When Moose refuses to play along, the Gargoyles pull out knives as incentive. Should they refuse to play, they’ll be killed. With no other choice, Kevin decides to go first. He flips the coin and just as he prepares to sip from the chalice, the Gargoyle King is shot by an arrow, fired by Cheryl, who along with Toni, Tom, FP and his deputies, bring an end to the ritual. They unmask the Gargoyles and much to Kevin and Moose’s surprise, they’re the RROTC cadets. They were being lead by Marcus Mason, who is disguised as the Gargoyle King.

  
FP takes Marcus to the Sheriff Station for interrogation. Marcus reveals that there wasn’t any poison in the chalices. He was just trying to scare Moose and Kevin straight. FP wonders how he talked his cadets into helping. Marcus explains that he made it a quest. The Gargoyle King told them their brothers needed help. The RROTC was the same way when Marcus and Tom were in school. Back then, he and Tom were best friends. One day, he tried to kiss Tom, who rejected him. When Marcus’ parents found out about his inclinations, they sent him to the Sisters to get help for his weakness of character. That’s where Marcus first met the Gargoyle King, and where he started playing Gryphons and Gargoyles, and later learned that Tom played too along with the Midnight Club. The Sisters cured Marcus of impure thoughts. He became strong as he has been all these years. But then he heard that Tom and Sierra were getting married just as Moose told him that he was seeing Kevin. FP realizes that Marcus wanted to destroy what he couldn’t have. The Sisters scared Marcus with the Gargoyle King, so he thought he could do the same to Moose and Kevin. FP almost seems to feel bad for Marcus, commenting that the Sisters did a number on him.

  
FP and Jughead return to the trailer, where they continue their discussion in regard to the Gargoyle King and those who have put on the mask for their own distinctive reasons; Tall Boy did it to sell drugs and Marcus did it to scare Moose. FP remarks that it’s like playing "Whac-A-Mole", as every time they take down a Gargoyle King, another pops up in their place. However, the true Gargoyle King, who killed Featherhead, is still at large. Much to FP and Jughead’s surprise, Gladys and Jellybean are in Riverdale. They surprise them at the trailer and Jellybean greets both her father and brother with a hug. Gladys then gives Jughead, who wonders what they’re doing in town, a hug. Gladys informs the boys that she and Jellybean aren’t just there to visit. They intend to stay awhile.

  
In the music room, Josie tells Archie how in the end, her mother and Kevin’s father got the wedding they wanted. Just the four of them at Town Hall. They said it didn’t feel right having a party. As for what’s next for Josie, after everything Kevin and Moose went through, not getting into Julliard doesn’t seem like such a big deal to Josie anymore. For now, she's just going to take it day by day, which is precisely what Archie’s been doing. Archie and Josie then start to sing together.

  
At the Five Seasons, Tom and Sierra look over at their wedding cake, which Sierra is glad that it was too late to cancel for as its beautiful. Tom then looks Sierra in her eyes and tells her that she’s beautiful. The newlyweds then profess their love for one another before sharing a kiss.

Moose finds Kevin at school only to tell him goodbye. He can no longer stay with his father in Riverdale. So, he’s moving to Glendale to stay with his aunt. Kevin is saddened by this decision, telling Moose that all his friends are in Riverdale and that he can stay with them. However, Moose can’t stay in Riverdale, at least not for a little while. He and Kevin share one last kiss before parting ways.

  
Toni is disgusted with what Major Mason did to Moose and Kevin. Cheryl informs her that it’s a result of the Sisters’ conversion therapy. It twisted his soul. Cheryl recalls the day that Toni (and Veronica) saved her from the Sisters and says that she’ll never forget it. Since Toni has done so much for her, Cheryl wants to repay the favor. Call it step four of her mega plan. They enter a classroom to about half a dozen female students, one of which being Peaches 'N Cream. Cheryl informs Toni that it’s her new gang if she wants it to be. Cheryl knows how much Toni misses being a Serpent as they were her family. So, she found some other girls who were looking for support or community or even fisticuffs. With this gesture, Cheryl would like to start a new family. Toni is extremely grateful, referring to Cheryl’s gesture as the most bad ass and romantic thing she’s ever done. Peaches 'N Cream inquiries about the name for their newly found family, to which Toni falls on the name "Pretty Poisons." Pretty by day, poison by night.

Veronica and Reggie call Hermione down to La Bonne Nuit with an update. But first, they would have liked for her to have informed them that the buyer was Jughead’s mom. Hermione is surprised that Gladys showed up herself as she was supposed to send an intermediary. Furthermore, Gladys has no intentions on returning to Toledo and plans on making Riverdale her home once more.

Lorcan tells her friends that her scores are good enough to land her in UCLA as for their delight and went out to Pop's to celebrate. It's time for them to continue their plan against the Farm.

  
Gladys and Jellybean hangout at the trailer, and as it seems, they are there for much more nefarious reasons than they’ve lead on. Jellybean remarks that she has FP wrapped around her finger. Gladys adds that Jellybean is FP’s weakness. Which means, they have the whole town. FP is the Sheriff. The mayor owes them a ton of money, and she even has Veronica working for her.

As Archie and Josie end their duet, they find themselves face-to-face. They inch closer and Archie asks Josie if he can kiss her, to which she agrees, and the two proceed to kiss.


	5. Requiem for a Welterweight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As Veronica attempts to steer Hiram away from the drug business, Gladys' return to Riverdale throws a wrench into her plan. Lorcan and Betty grows concerned when Alice decides to take her commitment with The Farm to the next level. Elsewhere, Archie's rush to get into the boxing ring lands him in hot water, while Cheryl's attempt to send the Serpents a message causes tension between her and Toni.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In this chapter, Lorcan reveals to Betty about the baptism.

Gladys prepares breakfast for Jughead in the early hours of the morning. FP enters the living room after a long night on the couch. Gladys offers him the bed, but he declines. Jellybean then heads into the kitchen to grab a cup of coffee, which FP initially questions, but decides to let go. As he heads out, he tells Jughead to call him should trouble arise.

At the Cooper house, Alice reveals to Betty that she’s getting baptized by the Farm. Edgar says that Alice is finally ready, so all the women of the Farm are gathering together at the new facility.

Hiram calls Veronica into his study as he readjusts back into business after his shooting. In the short time that he was laid up, some valuable equipment and stock went missing from his prison. Veronica puts the blame on her mother, stating that she said that it had to be destroyed because of the feds. Tall Boy, an ex-Serpent, tried to kill Hiram. FP, also an ex-Serpent, is now Sheriff. And Gladys, a Toledo Serpent, is back in town after years away and suddenly Hiram is out of very valuable assets, leaving him to conclude that the Jones played him. Veronica disagrees however. Still, Hiram is convinced they had the help of someone close to him to pull this off.

While on their way to class, Betty informs Jughead and Lorcan of her mother’s upcoming baptism with the Farm. Usually, she would be rubbing the Farm in Betty’s face, but now it is as if her mother is shutting her out, which terrifies Betty even more. Betty failed in her attempt of digging up dirt on the Farm. She couldn’t even find a single photograph of Edgar Evernever. Jughead suggests that Betty pretend to embrace the baptism as it may allow for her to keep a closer eye on her mother. He and Betty then enter the class for a meeting of the Swords and Serpents only to find that their numbers have greatly depleted. Sweet Pea and Fangs inform Jughead that they’re down another eight members. All girls. They’ve all deceived to join Toni and Cheryl’s gang, the Pretty Poisons. Jughead orders everyone to fallback as it is his duty to make things right considering that this is only happening because he exiled Cheryl and Toni. Jughead believes that if he can talk to Toni and get her

Meanwhile, Archie begins his training with Tom in the local gym. The first thing Tom learned while boxing in the army is to keep your hand up, and so he passes this onto Archie. He makes Archie aware of his habit to telegraph his punches. If he does that in the ring with an experienced fighter, he won’t stand a chance. Archie wants a real fight, but Tom doesn’t think he’s ready. Archie needs to learn technique and until then, he won’t be fighting anyone. Archie is persistent as he wants to know if boxing is a viable option for him. Tom tells Archie to slow down as boxing isn’t something you want to do half-assed.

Veronica supplies Gladys with this week’s payment as part of their previously agreed upon payment plan for the drugs Veronica burned. Veronica tells Gladys that Hiram suspects she and FP are behind his recent troubles, and that Gladys came back to Riverdale to steal his drug trade. Gladys couldn’t care less about Hiram being fired up. She even suspects that Veronica’s only telling her this because she’s worried that Hiram will find out that Hermione tried to sell his business out from under him. Gladys orders Veronica to be her spy, and in return, she’ll slightly ease Veronica’s debt. Veronica refuses to do so, which Gladys doesn’t take kindly to. She’s now in a race with Hiram to rebuild the candy trade. Gladys explains to Veronica that they both want the same thing, for her to rebuild the candy trade and to keep Hiram out, meaning it would be in Veronica's best interest to help her.

Archie overhears Elio trying to arrange a fight for his fighter Randy Ronson, and offers to be his opponent. While Archie doesn’t have any wins under his belt, he’s more than willing to fight. Elio agrees, but with one condition. He needs Archie to guarantee him that he’ll lose. If Archie takes a dive, it’ll help build his reputation. First step at becoming a champ is fighting a champ, but Archie has to pay his dues. But in this case, Archie also gets paid $5,000 if he goes three rounds with Elio’s fighter. Randy gets another win and Archie gets on the board. Elio even offers to pay Archie half of the money upfront. The other half will be paid after the fight.

Veronica shares her concerns with her father. She knows that he’s been dealing drugs, but it’s all gone now, along with the equipment he’s been using to manufacture them. Veronica thinks that this is an opportunity to go clean and build a new empire. She suggests that he refocus on his prison. He could fill it with criminals, making more money by imprisoning drug dealers than selling to them. Hiram likes the sound of this, but it’s small thinking. He has an idea of his own. Hiram recalls that Penny used the Ghoulies to manufacture and sell candy. Now that she’s missing, her gang is leaderless. If Hiram gains control of the Ghoulies, then he regains hold of the trade.

Not only is being in the Serpents her birth right, she’s also their family, so Jughead arranges a meeting with Toni at Pop’s to ask that she return to the Serpents. Toni agrees, but only if Jughead makes her queen, however, Jughead can’t do this because of Betty. He wonders what the Pretty Poisons are doing for Toni that the Serpents can’t. Toni explains that it’s an opportunity to lead. She rules them and they’re a sisterhood. However, Jughead thinks that they’re nothing more than Cheryl’s vanity project, which angers Toni. Before leaving, she tells Jughead that the Serpents are no longer a family.

Alice prepares for her baptism with the help of Evelyn and Polly. Betty watches from the couch, extending her support or at least pretending to, unbeknownst to the others. Betty then discovers the release forms that her mother signed that exculpates the Farm in case of bodily harm or death during the baptism. Alice snatches the form away from Betty, claiming that it’s standard. Evelyn explains to Betty that Alice is on the verge of discovering something that some people spend their whole life looking for and never find, so Betty shouldn’t stand in the way of that. Polly then adds that Betty is behaving just as Edgar said she would as she is a detractor.

Veronica informs Gladys that Hiram is going after the Ghoulies because they’re the cooks and the runner, so if Gladys wants to win this war, she needs soldiers to fight it. Gladys is pleased with this information, granting Veronica another day.

Archie is approached by Tom as he trains at the gym. Tom has learned of Archie’s fight with Randy Ronson, who’s 12-0 with 10 KOs. Archie has to prove himself and Elio is giving him the chance to do that. But Randy fights dirty, Tom explains. He sucker punched one of this opponents before, which resulted in serious injury. And Archie is still not ready for a fight, so Tom gives him an ultimatum, either he cancel the fight or find himself a new coach.

Just outside Thistlehouse, Cheryl teaches an archery class to the Pretty Poisons. Toni returns not long after to inform Cheryl how Jughead attempted to convince her to rejoin the Serpents. He had the audacity to call them a vanity project, which still angers Toni, and so she plots on a way to put him in his place. Cheryl draws her bow and arrow, and fires, telling the girls that it’s time to show Jughead just how poisonous they can be.

Sweet Pea and Fangs are approached by Cheryl, Peaches 'N Cream , and the Pretty Poisons as they are leaving Pop’s. Sweet Pea sarcastically remarks that that he and Fangs don’t want any trouble from their sorority. Cheryl demands respect, to which Fangs questions the consequence of should they not. Cheryl explains who they are and why they’re there. They’ve come to deliver a message to the Serpents, that they’re not to be dismissed or trifled with. The ladies proceed to surround and attack Sweet Pea and Fangs, who choose not to defend themselves.

Afterward, Sweet Pea and Fangs retreat to Sunnyside trailer park, where their wounds are tended to by Jughead and Gladys, who advises Jughead to get his people in order or else more will defect and more gangs will start to emerge. Eventually, the Serpents' cut will become minuscule. They need numbers and Gladys knows for a fact that the Ghoulies are up for grab. They’ve been leaderless ever since she took care of Penny. Gladys tells Jughead to recruit them, though he is reluctant given their past. But if Jughead wishes to see the Serpents continue on, then he’ll have to do as told by his mother and tame the Ghoulies.

Toni approaches Cheryl after learning that she and the other girls jumped Sweet Pea and Fangs. Cheryl explains that she was sending them a message as the Serpents needed to know that the Pretty Poisons aren’t to be trifled with. Toni is furious. The purpose of their gang isn’t to air out Cheryl’s petty grievances or personal vendetta. It’s for protection and community. So now she questions who’s truly leading the gang, her or Cheryl. Cheryl says that it’s Toni’s gang, and in that case, Toni tells Cheryl to never deploy the Pretty Poisons that way without first consulting with her.

Josie approaches Archie and tells him that she performing at La Bonne Nuit tomorrow night and that she would like for him to be on the guitar, unfortunately, he has his first fight that night. Archie reveals to Josie that he’s being paid to throw the fight, which Josie disapproves of. Archie explains that it’s a short cut to get his name out there. However, Josie still isn’t convinced that being paid to get beaten up is a good idea. Archie reminds her that he’s an ex-con who walked out of the SATs. While he has admittedly been dealt a bad hand, Josie believes it’s up to him to change that even if Archie is being offered $5,000. She believe that he’s worth more than that.

Betty approaches Kevin in the student lounge to ask for his help. The Farm is a cult and no one else but Betty seems to be worried about it. The only way to get dirt on a cult is to find an escapee. While researching online, Betty found dozens of articles of stories of people who have escaped the Farm. Betty has in her possession a list of over thirty people who have escaped. Betty needs Kevin’s help in calling them, but he refuses. After Moose left town, Evelyn began helping Kevin and said that she would introduce him to some cute gay Farmies. Betty can’t believe that Kevin is considering joining the Farm, and so he tells Betty to stop seeing the worst in people.

Jughead arrives at the Sheriff Station, where he informs his father of his intentions to take over the Ghoulies. FP is very skeptical, but Jughead believes it can work, stating that the Ghoulies just need a strong leader. Jughead wants to be that leader, but he’ll need to find a way to persuade them to agree. Jughead wants to be able to tell them that they’ll have immunity from the law should they agree to join the Serpents. FP questions if Gladys put Jughead to this, which he claims she didn’t. While it’s risky, boasting their numbers is their only chance of survival. FP agrees, so long as he doesn’t have to sign anything.

Hiram asks Hermione if she’s been in touch which Governor Dooley since he hasn’t been returning his calls. Hermione claims that she hasn’t since the quarantine. She asks if Hiram plans on having Donald over as she noticed that their best bottles of rum has been put out, but he isn’t. Hiram has instead invited Gladys over since she’s returned to town.

Veronica barges into the Jones’ trailer to confront Gladys and remind her of their agreement. Veronica makes payments and deliver information, and in exchange, Gladys stays away from them. While this is true, Gladys informs Veronica that it was Hiram who called her, not the other way around. Still, Veronica threatens to tell Jughead about Gladys’ plans to take over the drug trade if she moves forward with this. Gladys is amused. She doesn’t care if Veronica tells Jughead as there’s nothing he can do about it. Hiram, on the other hand, will bring pain to Hermione should he find out that she went behind his back. Gladys proceeds to tell Veronica that if her meeting with Hiram doesn’t go her way, she reveal everything to him regarding Hermione’s betrayal.

Archie calls Elio to the gym to return the money and explain that he won’t be throwing the fight. Unfortunately for Archie, that isn’t an option. Elio doesn’t just arrange fights, he arranges bets on fights and a lot of dangerous men have put down a lot of money in anticipation of Ronson beating Archie. If Archie doesn’t show up, they’ll go after Elio, who’ll direct them to Archie. Also, if Archie attempts to go rouge in the ring and win the match, Ronson will end him. Any deviation from their initial agreement will end badly for Archie.

Jughead meets with Verne, the last standing member of the Ghoulies, at Pop’s. Verne reveals that after they lost Malachai, then Penny, most of the Ghoulies went to the Gargoyles and started playing G&G. Now that Tall Boy is dead, Jughead asks if Verne knows who their leader is. The closest thing they have to a leader is a guy named Kurtz, who’s keeping the game going.

Jughead follows Verne’s instructions to what appears to be an abandoned house of sorts. Jughead shines his flashlight around the room, causing the nearby Gargoyles to cower. He also stumbles upon a game of G&G being played by several Gargoyles. Jughead eventually finds Kurtz. He’s come to talk. One leader to another. Jughead introduces himself as the Serpent King. He’s come to make an offer. They’re all wanted for the making and dealing of Fizzle Rocks, but if the Gargoyles join the Serpents, Jughead can promise them immunity from the law. Kurtz does not fear the law and doesn’t need immunity. He’s looked into the eyes of the King and his is the only law. The law of Gargoyles carved in stone. Persistent in getting the Ghoulies to join, Jughead requests to be Kurtz Game Master. However, Kurtz believes that G&G is more than just a game. According to him, they’re living a prophecy and everyone else are just sacrifices waiting to be made. Kurtz says that the Gargoyle King will decide and choose, and only the worthy will ascend.

Archie finds Tom at the gym and reveals that Tom was right. Archie thought the fight with Ronson would elevate him, but he now realizes that he’s not ready. Archie then reveals how Elio paid him to throw the fight, and now Archie has no choice but to fight Ronson and worries that he’ll kill him. Archie’s only chance of survival is with Tom in his corner. Tom’s seen Ronson’s work. He’s strong, but he wasn’t in the Army. Nor did he have to endure juvie.

Veronica purposefully interrupts her father’s meeting with Gladys. Veronica and Gladys exchange pleasantries to keep up the rouse that they’re strangers. Veronica requests to sit in on their discussion. While initially hesitant, Hiram agrees. Gladys takes a seat and asks what the purpose of the meeting. Intimidation, she suspects. Rumor has it that Hiram’s starting from scratch. Hiram and Gladys proceed to go back and forth until Gladys proposes that she focus on the drug trade while Hiram focus on his prison. Hiram finds it interesting that Veronica made the same pitch. Unbeknownst to Hiram, just as Gladys is about the reveal the truth about Hermione’s betrayal, Veronica interrupts. She agrees with Gladys’ proposal and will help her father see it through just like he’s always wanted. After thinking it over, Hiram agrees to the proposal, but he’ll need a steady stream of prisoners. He assumes that FP, Gladys’ husband and town Sheriff can see to that. As for Hermione, Hiram says that she’s a non-factor.

From the Blue and Gold offices, Betty begins to call the list of escapees from the Farm, but most aren’t so willing to talk. Betty then gets a call back from one of the escapees, which is Lorcan and decided to tell Betty.

The night of the fight has arrived. Archie tells Elio that he isn’t throwing the fight. This both angers and confuses Elio as he doesn’t understand what Archie hopes to accomplish by this. With their initial agreement, everyone walks out happy, however, Archie isn’t for it. He gives Elio his money back and tells him that the deal is off. In response, Elio tells Ronson to kill Archie in the ring.

Jughead returns home to find FP, Gladys, and Jellybean eating dinner. He reveals to his mother and father that the Ghoulies no longer exist. They’ve joined the Gargoyles. They’re the same guys just in a different mask Gladys states. She still thinks Jughead should’ve recruited them, but Jughead doesn't. He wants to find another way to save the Serpents as Gargoyles aren’t the answer. Jughead explains to them just how deeply lost the Gargoyles are into G&G.

Betty convenes with Lorcan in the bunker. She recalls that the Farm had locations similar to the bunker. Lorcan escapes from the Farm, five years ago. She and Laura-Belle were kidnapped along with Max, Jake and Kyle. They escaped after Laura-Belle died. It happened during one of their ceremonies. The Farm believes that if you can get close enough to death, you’ll see the truth. They claim that you have to survive an extreme ordeal to achieve ascension. Lorcan continues to explain that the promise of the Farm and the first step towards it is the baptism. Laura-Belle was drowned during hers in order to protect Lorcan and Max. Realizing that her mother may be next, Betty rushes off to stop the baptism.

While Josie performs at La Bonne Nuit, Tom prepares Archie for his fight with Ronson. Archie takes several nasty blows. He attempts to fight back, but Ronson gets the better of him.

Elsewhere, Betty races down to the Farm’s new facility to stop the baptism. She calls, but her mother doesn’t answer.

Back at the fight, Archie has made it through the first two rounds. Tom tells Archie that Ronson is going to try to end it in the third round and that they can use this to their advantage. He advises Archie to slip the right hand and catch him with an uppercut. From the crowd, Elio signals Ronson to end Archie. Josie arrives just as the finale round commences. She roots for Archie from the crowd, as does Tom. Just as it seems as if Archie is gaining control, Ronson head butts him. The fight is then broken up. Tom rejoins Archie in his corner to coach him through the final minutes of the fight. He assures Archie that he’s done great, but if he wants to win this fight, he has to knock Ranson out and then the fight commences. The bell sounds to signal the end of the match not long after, just as Archie is gaining control. There’s a split decision, but ultimately, Ronson wins the fight.

The women of the Farm gather for Alice’s baptism. Evelyn seems to lead the event. This is a day of rebirth. It is important to remember that birth is no easy fear, Evelyn says. It is a trauma to leave the comfort of their wombs. They push, tear, and spread forth. Crying and gasping for air. Today, Alice will rip off the weight she has carried, break through the barriers restraining her and she will emerge into the light of her destiny. Evelyn asks Alice if she’s ready. Alice replies that she is. Polly helps Alice into a steel tub of water and hold her under water. Even as Alice gasps and fights for air, Polly forces her down until she is unresponsive. Betty, having ran across town, finally makes it to the facility, barging into the chamber and demanding that the baptism be stopped. Betty pulls her mother from the tub and performs CPR. Fortunately, she manages to revive Alice.

Josie waits for Archie after the fight. He asks about her show. She says she killed it, much like Archie did during his fight. She’s glad he didn’t throw it, which is a win to her. She then asks if he wants to get a milkshake at Pop’s to celebrate. Instead, they head to Archie’s place, where they have sex.

Hiram approaches Hermione after getting off the phone with the Governor. He told Hiram that Hermione made a contribution to him not a day after he was shot. Around the same time that Hermione was getting rid of his business holdings. Veronica comes to her mother’s defense. She admits to burning her father’s drugs and equipment. She explains that Hermione was just covering for her with the story about the feds. Veronica did it for all of them and she doesn’t plan on apologizing. Hiram takes this in and then tells Veronica that she burned $75,000 worth of drugs and equipment and that’s how much she owes him.

As Jughead and Jellybean watch a horror film, several Gargoyles barge into the trailer. Jughead pulls out his knife and Jellybean her slingshot. Surprisingly, the Gargoyles did not come alone. It seems they are now under Gladys’ command. She did what Jughead couldn’t. She tamed the Gargoyles. She then tells them to take off their masks. Kurtz is one of the Gargoyles at Gladys’ disposal. Jughead explains that this can only end badly, which may be true, but they’re desperate by Gladys’ standards.

After getting her mother home, Betty calls Lorcan and thanks her. She wanted her to tell Alice about just how dangerous the Farm is. Betty takes a seat next to her mother and carefully explains how Polly held her under water and tried to kill her. However, by Alice’s account, she was reborn. She saw it all. Her purpose and destiny, just as Edgar said. And now that she’s been baptized, Alice can purge the last thing in her life holding her back, that being the house. Alice wants to sell the house so that they can all be together at the Farm, herself, Betty, Polly, Juniper, Dagwood, Evelyn, Edgar and all the other Farmies.


	6. Fire Walk With Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Betty and Lorcan takes matters into their own hands when they learns that The Farm has set their sights on someone in her inner circle. Meanwhile, when Hiram and Gladys' control over Veronica becomes too much to handle, she sets a plan in motion to turn the tables on them. Elsewhere, Archie grows concerned about a young runaway he meets at the gym, while Jughead struggles to maintain control over the Serpents.

Alice moves forward with her plans to sell the house. She shows off her home of three bedrooms and four baths to a couple of potential buyers. In an effort to block the selling of the house, Betty informs their guests that the room they’re currently standing in is where her father, the Black Hood not only showed them creepy snuff films but also where her mother knocked him out with a shovel. Betty insists that she’s telling the truth and encourages the potential buyers to google it under "Alice Cooper" instead of "Alice Smith". They can also find this under "Murder house on Elm Street".

Archie continues to put his best foot forward in boxing. While training at the gym, he is approached by its owner, Mo. He needs Archie to start paying dues. Archie can pay off this in manual labor by helping out around the gym.

  
Evelyn, Kevin, and the rest of the young Farmies enter their reserved classroom for the Farm meeting only to find Kurtz and the other Gargoyles turned Serpents occupying the classroom while playing Gryphons and Gargoyles. Just as Evelyn informs them that they have rights to the class every Wednesday, Cheryl, Peaches 'N Cream and the rest of the Pretty Poisons interject to lay their claim to the room. Cheryl explains that the third Wednesday of every month is reserved for monthly student council/LGBTQIA meetings. Evelyn questions the validity of Cheryl’s claims, to which Cheryl replies that she would have Evelyn beheaded in another century. It’s only when Kurtz refers to the ladies as "bitches" that the altercation turns violent, forcing Jughead and Toni to intervene.

  
Afterward, Jughead and Toni are reprimanded for the actions of their respective gangs by Mr. Weatherbee. They try to explain that they were simply breaking up the fight, but Weatherbee isn’t interested in their excuses. This brawl is only the last incident of gang activity at Riverdale High. Someone robbed the Chemistry lab the night before of thousands of dollars of equipment, all of which can be used to cook drugs. Jughead and Toni profess their innocence as neither of their gangs cook drugs, nevertheless, Jughead gets one more strike and then he’s out of Riverdale High.

  
At La Bonne Nuit, Veronica and Reggie watch helplessly from the bar as Gladys and her companions cause commotion. Reggie asks if Veronica would like for him to bounce someone out, but with their current standing with Gladys, that would be impossible. Hiram then approaches Veronica as he too is at the speakeasy. He’s courting several important perspective clients. Veronica wonders where she should charge for the expense of the drinks, however, Hiram has no intentions on paying as he believes the drinks should be comped because of the money Veronica currently owes. Gladys and her Serpent pals then proceed to make a mess of things after knocking over a table. As the night comes to an end, and Veronica and Reggie are all that’s left in La Bonne Nuit, Veronica wonders just where everything went bad. Gladys and her father are running all over the speakeasy and Veronica doesn’t have any leverage because she owes them both money. So, every dollar she makes goes straight to them. Reggie states that they need a new line on a cash cow, which reminds her of Casino night with Elio. They’d be able to pay off their debts in weeks, but Reggie is rather hesitant, however, he comes to agree.

  
While sweeping up the gym, Archie is approached by Josie and the two of them joke about his new gig and then plan to have dinner at Pop’s. However, before they can, the two become alert after hearing an odd sound. They open a closet to find a young boy inside. Archie comes off a bit aggressive, but Josie comes in with a more comforting approach, asking the kid for his name and if he’s hungry. The boy reveals that his name is Ricky and then Archie and Josie take him Pop’s.

  
While at the diner, Josie asks about Ricky’s parents, who he claims to have never known. Archie then asks about the cubby he was hiding in. Ricky explains that he’s been staying there on and off for a few weeks. Josie asks if there’s anyone they can call, but Ricky doesn’t have anyone. Short on options, Josie recommends calling Betty as she knows people at Social Services. Ricky instantly takes off and runs for the door but Archie catches up to him before he can get away. Ricky’s afraid of Social Services as they will send him back to a shelter called The Santa Lucia Shelter. While there, they branded Ricky with the same symbol branded on Archie that means sacrifice. Ricky got that brand from some of the older guys who were at the shelter. They didn’t live there, but they did crash there, and one night, Ricky woke up and they were holding him down and branding his arm. That’s when he left the shelter.

  
Archie brings Ricky home with him and allows him to sleep in the garage. When Ricky asks what Archie plans to tell his parents, Archie explains that it’s just him and his dad, who most of the time is at work. Also, the garage is more so Archie’s space. Tomorrow morning, Archie’s gonna take Ricky back to Pop’s and get him set up in a booth. After school, Archie’s gonna take him to the gym and teach him to defend himself. Ricky questions why Archie’s helping him, to which Archie replies that he’s been in Ricky’s shoes, alone and on the run. But he was lucky enough to have friends to help him through it, a luxury not afforded to Ricky, who then makes Archie promise that he’s not calling Social Services.

  
Toni and Cheryl get into a small fight over the much larger fight that took place at school between the Poisons, Serpents, and Farmies, which landed Toni in trouble with Weatherbee. Cheryl claims that she had the classroom reserved as Student Body President. While Cheryl may wear many hats, when she puts on that purple jacket, she’s representing the gang. Toni warns Cheryl to proceed with caution as she doesn’t want to suspend anyone for loose cannon behavior. Least of all her own girlfriend. Cheryl agrees as that would makes hosting Pretty Poison’s meetings at Thistlehouse incredibly awkward, she remarks. Cheryl knows that they don’t have another headquarters for use, moreover a pool, allowing her to use this as leverage.

  
In the student lounge, Lorcan, Veronica and Betty play catch up, during which time Betty tells Veronica that her mother still intends to sell the house and Betty’s still trying to sabotage her, but it’s only a matter of time until she finds someone who wants to live in a death house. Betty then waves at Kevin as he passes with Evelyn and the Farmies, but he does not wave back. When Archie asks about Kevin’s odd behavior, Betty explains to the gang that the Farm got Kevin and soon enough her house. Jughead reminds her that his offer still stands. While his trailer is cramped, she’s more than welcome to stay. Veronica and Archie extend the same welcoming to their respective homes. Archie then tells them about Ricky, the homeless kid in his garage, who ran away from a group home and was squatting in the gym. Jughead remarks that this sounds an awful lot like him during sophomore year. Archie then informs them of the branding on Ricky’s arm. The same one Warden Norton gave him. Archie isn’t sure if he’s playing G&G, but he left him at Pop’s for the day. Betty recommends that he call Ms. Weiss, whose helped both Betty and Jughead in the past.

Betty finds Kevin at his locker and confronts him on joining the Farm. She doesn’t want to see him disappear like her mother did. Kevin tells Betty to back off as she is a detractor.

  
Jughead calls a Serpent meeting to ask about the break-in of the Chemistry lab. Kurtz admits that he did it though as a quest, stating that looting the alchemist lair was one of their more rewarding quests. But it is because of this that they’re now on Weatherbee‘s radar. Kurtz reminds Jughead that he promised them immunity, though this doesn’t apply when they fragrantly break the law. Jughead demands that he return the equipment, but Kurtz refuses. Fangs interjects, calling him a Fizzle Rocks junkie. This nearly leads to a brawl between him and Kurtz, who hasn’t forgotten about Fangs infiltrating the Gargoyle gang to spy on them. Kurtz makes a remark that he should’ve beaten Fangs over the head with the branding iron when he had the chance, angering Fangs, who grabs Kurtz by his jacket, though Jughead breaks the dispute up before it can go any further. Whatever bad blood existed between the Serpents and the Gargoyles is over as they’re all Serpents now. And it’s high time their newer members learned the Serpent laws. Jughead, Sweet Pea, and Fangs begin reciting the sixth Serpent law; "In unity, there is strength." However, the new recruits don’t fall in line. Kurtz tells Jughead that he plays by a different set of rules, to which Jughead tells him that he’s out of the gang. Though, it seems he has no plans on leaving. Kurtz reminds Jughead that both he and his mother came to him for help, leaving Kurtz to conclude that the Serpents need them more than they need the Serpents. So, if they’re rescinding what they promised, then Kurtz tells Jughead that he better come up with something better to offer before he decides to throw the original Serpents out of his gang, as the Gargoyle recruits have the numbers.

  
Veronica and Reggie welcome Josie along with more than half a dozen employees to the casino of La Bonne Nuit. They’ve got poker on the floor, blackjack at the bar, nickel and quarter slots along the wall, and a horse race-themed wheel of chance in the corner. Reggie already called dibs on spinning it. It goes without saying that discretion is of the upmost importance. But Josie is forced to ask the obvious question. What to do if they’re raided? Veronica and Reggie have made upgrades to the place to account for such a threat. They have a number of compartments and close-in doors to hide all the Casino paraphernalia. At which point Veronica will bat her eyelids and say "What secret casino, Officer?"

  
Jughead reports the break-in at the school to his father, who is already very much aware after having received a call from Weatherbee. Jughead informs FP that the Gargoyles were the culprit, which he already suspected. They’re not only starting fights and playing G&G, they outnumber the original Serpents. The problem is that they have no honor, duty, or sense of purpose. And it finally made Jughead realize in turn, the bigger issue, and it’s been that way for a while, neither do the Serpents. FP tells Jughead that he has to figure out what his version of the Serpents are going to be. He has to give them and now the Gargoyles a reason to wear that Serpent jacket with pride. When the bad guys outnumber you, FP advises Jughead to out-think them.

  
Archie returns to Pop’s only to find that Ricky is no longer there. Pop Tate informs him that Ricky ran away after a group of thugs came by. They saw him through the window and started banging on the glass. Ricky ran into the kitchen and out the back door. As for the thugs, they circled around and took off after him. One last thing Pop Tate tells Archie is that Ricky left something behind. He had been drawing on a placemat. The drawing in question is that of Ricky surrounded by the Gargoyle King and the Gargoyles.

As Betty is leaving the Blue and Gold, she passes by the Chemistry class, where the Farm is having their meeting. She takes a peak through the glass window. From there, she sees Evelyn watching as Kevin and the Farmies burn themselves by holding their hands over Bunsen burners.

  
Archie and Betty meet up with Ms. Weiss at Pop’s to discuss a possible home for Ricky. Ms. Weiss explains that with runaways, they typically end up hitchhiking to Centerville and joining gangs. Often it’s because they’ve rejected the state's efforts to help. However, Betty and Archie inform Ms. Weiss that Ricky ran away from Santa Lucia Shelter, which she is familiar with. They’re one of the better homes in town. Although, Ricky claims that the people there had hurt him by branding a symbol on his arm. Ms. Weiss has been seeing that quite often as of late. G&G may not be in the news anymore, but it’s everywhere else. Ms. Weiss is accompanied by a sketch artist who draws a fairly accurate picture of Ricky to show around. If they can find a match in the database, they’ll be able to track him down. Before leaving, Archie asks if he can make copies of the drawing.

  
Hiram speaks with Veronica after learning that she is turning her speakeasy into a casino. It’s fortuitous for Hiram as he is in the process of courting the business of a gentleman who owns a playing card company. And Hiram’s pitching him the idea of moving the production of his factory to the prison. He gets the produce of those cards for pennies on the dollar, and Hiram’s for-profit prison earns a small wage. Veronica tells her father that this is shady, though he seems unbothered. If Veronica helps him land this client, she wants 5% of her debt wiped away.

At La bonne Nuit, Gladys reveals to Veronica and Reggie that when she was their age, she used to perform at the Whyte Wyrm. Veronica concludes that Gladys is looking to make a comeback, and should she agree to allow Gladys to perform on stage, she has to shave 5% off of the debt Veronica owes, to which Gladys agrees.

  
Lorcan and Betty asks Josie if she has noticed that Kevin has gotten very involved with the Farm at an alarming rate as Lorcan has become concerned. And last night, when Betty was leaving school, she saw him and a bunch of the other Farmies holding their hands over a Bunsen burner. Lorcan explains that cults like the Farm prey on emotionally vulnerable people like Kevin. Josie hasn't told her mother or Kevin's father, but she admits that over the last week, she had heard Kevin sneaking out at night. She assumed that he was going back to Fox Forest, but now she thinks that he’s been going to meet them.

Archie heads over to Sunnyside Trailer Park to coordinate with Jughead as he is still looking for Ricky. Archie shares with Jughead a drawing of Ricky’s which depicts him surrounded by the Gargoyle King and Gargoyle gang, as well as a well detailed sketch of Ricky himself. Pop Tate said some thugs chased him out the diner, and Archie suspects it may be the Gargoyles who Jughead recently recruited.

  
Jughead calls a Serpent meeting at the bunker. Sweet Pea, Fangs, and Kurtz are among those in attendance. Jughead and Archie share a sketch of Ricky, asking if anyone recognizes him, though no one does. Jughead orders a manhunt. They’re going to break the town into sections, though Kurtz isn’t up to the task, causing Archie to suspect that maybe it was him and his crew who scared Ricky off at Pop’s, though Kurtz claims to have had no involvement as they’re more interested in making drugs. However, he does reveal that there are others out there. Outliers who broke away when they joined the Serpents. Assuming that what Kurtz is saying is the truth, that’s only one more reason that they need to find Ricky, though Kurtz has no intentions on joining the search.

  
Veronica welcomes Gladys to the stage, making her debut at La Bonne Nuit. As Gladys performs, she is taunted by Hiram’s business associate. Reggie wants to kick him out, but Veronica won’t permit it given her agreement with her father. Hiram suggests that his associate give Gladys some tips, to which she responds by pulling out a knife and telling them that she has a sharp tip of her own to give to them. As things are getting a bit too heated, Veronica finally allows Reggie to bounce Larry, who is in disbelief that he’s being kicked out. As Reggie escorts him out, Hiram warns Veronica that there will be trouble if she just cost him a million dollar deal.

  
Betty and Lorcan follows Kevin from his house to the woods, where he has met up with Evelyn and the rest of the Farmies. Betty watches from afar, cloaked in the bushes as a ritual is about to commence. It would seem that Kevin has to cross a bed of hot coal without shoes. Evelyn tells Kevin that once he crosses the threshold, he can’t stop. He must believe that he’ll be protected and forged. Only through the fire can they be cleansed and leave their past behind. Conquer their fears, expiate their sins, and exorcise their demons. Betty jumps out the bushes telling Kevin not to go through with the ritual, but he does so regardless, seemingly without any pain or injury.

  
Jughead tells Archie that most of his guys are out looking for Ricky, but he has a place that the two of them can check out themselves. Gargoyle ground zero. The abandoned house that he first met Kurtz. Inside, written on the walls are the names of all those who have ascended, including Joaquin, Warden Norton, Dilton, Ben, Tall Boy, and the Sisters of Quiet Mercy. Hidden inside the wall, they find Ricky. He hid there after learning that the Gargoyles moved out. He figured it would be the last place they’d look for him, but he’ll never be able to escape them as he’s marked for death, as is Archie. Archie explains that while it may mean sacrifice, neither one of them will be sacrificed.

  
Betty is confronted by Evelyn and Kevin while writing her Blue and Gold article detailing her encounter last night in the woods. Evelyn tells Betty that she shouldn’t have ran off afterwards. Betty asks if they’re there to go on record about what she saw. Kevin tells Betty that last night was scary, fun, and euphoric. It felt like nothing he’s ever felt. Evelyn and Kevin then tell Betty that she won’t be publishing that article because they will tell everyone about the shady man that her mother killed in the kitchen, how Betty and Jughead dumped his car in Swedlow Swamp, and how FP dissolved the body with lye in the woods. Thanks to Betty’s mom, everyone at the Farm knows her secrets.

  
Archie teaches Ricky how to box at the gym. While locked up, this is how Archie survived. He wonders how Ricky got sucked into this all. Ricky explains that at the shelter, some older guys were into G&G and Fizzle Rocks. They would come by and try to rope in younger kids to use them as runners because the younger you are, the less time they serve if caught. When they asked Ricky, he turned them down. That's when they branded him and he left the shelter. Ricky wants to keep running as he doesn’t want to bring them to Archie, though Archie is certain that running isn’t going to solve anything.

  
Jughead calls another meeting to inform the others that while they found the kid, he still in danger. So is Archie for that matter. Sweet Pea asks about their next course of action. Their next play is a classic gambit. The hunters become the hunted. Kurtz had said that there are some rogue Gargoyles, so Jughead wants the name of those outliers. And he wants sentries posted at the Gargoyle lair. Their meeting is interrupted by Toni, who tells Jughead that Kurtz is about to kill Fangs. Jughead and Sweet Pea enter the hallway to find Kurtz dangling Fangs over the staircase balcony. They’re getting back at him for infiltrating the Gargoyles. Kurtz calls Fangs a dirty Serpent spy before dropping him so that he too can ascend. However, Sweet Pea and Jughead manage to get to Fangs just in time to break his fall.

  
Veronica comes down the stairs of La Bonne Nuit to find Gladys serving herself at the bar. She claims that Reggie waters down her drinks. Hiram then enters the speakeasy with another one of his associates, though he tells him that he owns the speakeasy, which only further aggravates Veronica. She is near her breaking-point, telling Reggie that this must come to an end. He is in agreement, so much so that he even misses the Serpents as they could use the muscle. Veronica asks how their take has been since the casino upgrade. He replies that their profit has almost doubled. With that, Veronica devises a plan that’ll require for her to siphon some of that off.

Archie enters his room and finds Ricky wearing his bulldog jacket. Archie tells him to keep it. He then tells Ricky to come down stairs to meet his dad. Archie assures Ricky that all his dad wants to do is help as they have to find him a place to live permanently. With a good family that they’ll all meet. Archie will also continue to hang out with him and give him boxing lessons at the gym.

  
Jughead heads over to the Sheriff Station, where he reports the incident at school regarding Fangs to his father. If he and Sweet Pea hadn’t been there to break Fangs’ fall, he would’ve broken his neck or worse. FP advises Jughead to take drastic action as words clearly aren't enough. Jughead agrees. He has to take a big action. One that is long overdue. And not just for Kurtz, but all the Serpents. Jughead is planning on the Serpents’ next chapter. Something that will give them purpose and keep them on the right side of the law. Mobilizing the gang search for Ricky gave Jughead the idea. As did his father.

  
Veronica invites Toni to a sit down at Pop’s. Where she makes her a proposition. Veronica would like to offer the Pretty Poisons full time employment at La Bonne Nuit. Toni declines as her girls aren’t waitresses, though she seems to have misinterpreted Veronica’s offer. Gladys and Hiram have been swarming around the place like they own it. And Veronica fears that their presence may come at the cost of her business as well as her sanity. She needs muscle to keep them out, and that’s where Toni and her gang comes in. The gig also comes with an advance. Veronica understands if Toni has to run this buy Cheryl first, but Toni does no such thing, accepting Veronica’s offer on the spot.

Betty returns home to find her mother packing. They’ve apparently sold the house to, in typical Riverdale fashion, an anonymous buyer. Alice tells Betty to start packing.

  
Jughead calls for another meeting of the Serpents. This time around he invited his father. Both Kurtz and Sweet Pea questions why. Jughead recalls that Kurtz boasted that the Serpents need him more than he needs them, but Jughead disagrees. One thing is true though, and that's the Serpents are rudderless. They lack identity and focus. And they’re better and stronger when task-focused. That’s why with the help of his father, Serpent Emeritus, they’ve come up with a plan to deputize the Serpents. To become partners with the Riverdale Sheriff’s Department. They’ll work for FP. Help him with investigations. Be his eyes and ears in the community. In return, they’ll get paid and receive school credit to apply for colleges. This is about being in order and ensuring their survival. This is going to be a brand new chapter for the Serpents and they can’t be divided about it. So Jughead decides to put it to a vote. If it’s not unanimous, anyone can leave. Jughead, FP, Sweet Pea, Fangs, and the rest of the Serpents raise their hands in favor, with the exception of Kurtz, who leaves. Sweet Pea then asks if they get to carry guns, which they don’t.

  
Archie and Ricky spend the night playing video games until Archie gets a call from Ms. Weiss, who informs him that the administrator at Santa Lucia Shelter finally got back to her and they found a match. Ricky’s full name is Ricardo DeSantos. As it turns out, Ricky is Joaquin’s younger brother. Ricky’s files shown that he has a history of violent behavior and self-harm. Ms. Weiss then asks for Ricky’s whereabouts, and so Archie revels that Ricky’s at his house. Archie returns to the living room to continue the game, but Ricky is gone. Archie begins searching for him. It’s not long before he finds him. Ricky stands behind Archie with a large kitchen knife. He’s there to kill Archie as it’s the only way the Gargoyles are going to let him in and let him play the game with them. Ricky believes that he has to finish what his brother, Joaquin, started. Archie reveals that he knew Joaquin and that he was a good guy, but he listened to the wrong people and ended up dead because of it. However, Ricky fears if he doesn’t do this then the Gargoyles won’t protect him. Archie reminds Ricky that the Gargoyles marked him for sacrifice, but Ricky explains that he gave it to himself and at the lair, he wrote his name under Archie’s. Ricky then slashes Archie with the knife, though he can’t finish the job and takes off as Fred arrives.

  
Archie apologizes for his role in this, calling himself an idiot for ever believing in Ricky. Fred patches Archie up and assures him that he’s not an idiot, rather a caring person. With Archie’s luck, there’s always the chance that Ricky could come back. Probably at the worst time and with his friends. Fred then finds a card on the floor from G&G that reads "Kill the Red Paladin."

Toni gets ready for her first night at La Bonne Nuit as security, though Cheryl won’t be coming. She claims to be feeling under the weather and that she’ll be asleep by the time Toni returns.

  
Gladys arrives at Pop’s with intentions on heading downstairs to La Bonne Nuit though her entry is blocked by Toni, Peaches ‘N Cream, and the Pretty Poisons. Under new house rules, Gladys is no longer permitted into La Bonne Nuit without an engraved invitation. Gladys doubts they can stop her, but Veronica joins the girls and tells Gladys to step off. She hired the girls to block her admittance until Gladys learns to play by Veronica’s rules. Her father then enters the diner, hoping that Veronica saved for him his favorite booth. However, Hiram isn’t permitted into La Bonne Nuit either, at least not until he starts to show Veronica proper respect. She also warns him not to flex his financial hold over her. She’ll pay him back as they agreed. But, moving forward, she’s running her business, her way.

  
Betty sits in her room, and though she is supposed to be packing, she seems more interested in the candle that sits in front of her. Just as Betty is about to try the fire test that she saw Kevin and the other Farmies doing in the Chemistry class, her mother enters the room. She’s about to go out for more bubble wraps and will expect more progress in packing by the time she returns. Betty comes downstairs with the candle, looking around at her home as packed boxes fill the room.

  
Archie, Jughead, and the Serpents return to the Gargoyles old lair, where they begin a cleanup of the old house. A fresh coat of paint, a couple atomic bombs, and the lair will work fine as an HQ for the new and improved Serpents. Archie, staring down at the list of names still written on the wall, doesn’t know what to do as he remains marked for death. He let his guard down for a moment and people come out the woodwork to kill him. There’s no telling how long Ricky was targeting him. Jughead suggests that maybe it’s time that Archie make this thing come to a head. This Gryphons and Gargoyles game that Archie’s still apparently playing. Jughead even agrees to help Archie play. As does Betty, who has just arrived to the house. Jughead comments that Betty’s looking cheery and gives her a kiss. Betty claims that she just feels a lot better about things.

Alice returns to find the house filled with smoke. She calls out Betty, before noticing that the entire living room is on fire.


	7. American Dreams

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As Gladys prepares for FP's 50th birthday party, Jughead questions his mom's motives for returning to Riverdale. When an unexpected encounter brings Archie back into the world of G&G, Jughead and Betty devise a plan to help him face his past head-on. Finally, Cheryl and Toni find themselves at a crossroads, and Veronica reveals a damaging secret to Betty.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lorcan is absent in this chapter.

At Sunnyside Trailer Park, in the Jones’ trailer, Jughead types on his laptop as his mother, father, and sister enjoy breakfast in the kitchen. Gladys tells Jellybean and FP to eat up because afterward they’re taking a ride to a surprise location. Gladys then proceeds to groom FP as Jughead watches contentedly.

  
The aforementioned surprise is that Gladys bought a house. Unbeknownst to her, she purchased the Cooper house, which she doesn’t realize until her, Jellybean, FP, and Jughead watch as Alice and Betty exit the house with boxes. They head inside, where FP inquires about the scorch marks, which Alice claims to be the result of a minor mishap with a candle. Betty questions how her mother could sell the house to the Jones, but it was solely Gladys who made the purchase. She made an all-cash offer online. Both Jughead and FP are hesitant with moving in given that it is the Cooper house. FP wants to walk away from this, but Alice doesn’t think it’s necessary. The house is her past and she wants to be done with it.

  
Betty and Jughead take a seat on the front steps, where they further discuss their current dilemma. Jughead doesn’t think that they’ll actually move in, but Betty believes otherwise. Her mom wants to sell it and his wants to buy it. If that is the case, Jughead tells Betty that the one good thing that comes from this is that she gets to stay in her room and live with them. However, Betty is unsure about living with Jughead’s family as she barely knows his mother. So instead, she’ll crash at the Pembrooke with Veronica.

  
Betty and Jughead then meet with Archie at Pop’s. Jughead checked with his dad, he pulled up all the files on Warden Norton after he committed suicide, and Jughead cleared out his office and found a "Kill the Red Paladin" Quest Card. This card from Warden Norton’s office is identical to the one Ricky had. This indicates that someone printed out multiple cards and put them out into the world. And now it’s their job to find out who.

  
At Thistlehouse, Cheryl surprises Toni with a trip to Quebec. She thought since Toni’s been working so hard with the Pretty Poisons, it might be good for the two of them to get away. So, Cheryl booked them a spring break ski trip. Unfortunately, Toni and the girls had already planned to road trip to Sugar Lake. Cheryl throws a fit, but before Toni can fully explain, she gets called into work.

  
Archie visits Hiram and reveals to him that he was recently attacked at his house by a homeless kid who stabbed him. Archie then shows Hiram the Red Paladin card and asks if he recognizes it. Hiram does. He started that quest with Warden Norton. Also, Tall Boy, when he was working for Hiram, referred to Archie by that name. Even if he did, Hiram wants to leave that in the past as they have a truce. However, Hiram does admit to giving a Quest Card to Warden Norton. He also printed out an even dozen. He gave three to Norton and nine to Tall Boy to distribute amongst the more fanatical players. Regardless of their truce, Archie is still a marked man. There’s other players out there, biding their time to kill Archie, that he now has to track down. Hiram offers to help with this. While he briefly distributed Fizzle Rocks, his soldiers like Tall Boy would make drop-offs and pickups to various hot spots around town, where like-minded individuals would gather to do Fizzle Rocks and play G&G. Hiram gives Archie a list of locations as the players he’s looking for may be there.

Cheryl arrives at La Bonne Nuit. She is greeted at the door by Reggie. Cheryl claims to have baked goods for Toni. A gesture of goodwill after a disagreement they had earlier. Cheryl heads down, where she finds Toni and the Pretty Poisons singing on stage with Veronica.

  
FP returns to the Sheriff Station, accompanied by Alice. He swears to her that he didn’t even know Gladys was looking into real estate. Alice explains that the house means nothing to her, but she can’t say the same about FP and Gladys. FP informs Alice that he and Gladys are still married even though she may have left FP and Jughead, which Alice is quick to remind him of. However, FP takes full responsibility for breaking up his family and chasing her away as he was a no good husband and rotten father. Alice asks if FP loves Gladys, to which he replies that she’s the mother of his children. As for Alice, if he loves her, FP says that it doesn’t matter as they are over, which brings tears to her eyes.

  
After closing at the speakeasy, Reggie asks Veronica to talk business. He’s invested a lot of time there. Being a bartender, a bouncer, a delivery man, and Pit boss, amongst other things. He’s also made sacrifices, like giving his car to Gladys. So, Reggie would like to become business partners with Veronica. While he has been helpful and dedicated, Veronica still owes a hefty debt to Gladys and her father. It wouldn’t be wise for her to begin another partnership. Reggie however doesn’t accept that. He knows his worth and wants Veronica to know it too. Veronica knows his worth, but to quote her abuelita, "no one walks on water in my place, except me."

  
Jughead questions his mother in regards to her recent purchase of the Cooper house. He comments that it seems very convenient and permanent. Gladys had been looking at real estate in Riverdale for a while. As for where she got the money, she sold the shop in Toledo. While this is fine, since she’s been back, Jughead points out the shady moves she’s made, like foisting the Gargoyles on him. Gladys can tell that Jughead’s growing suspicions of her and wonders why. He tells her that it’s because they haven’t had a single conversation since her return. He doesn’t know what her plan even is. Gladys explains that it did her good to see Jughead and FP again in Toledo. It reminded her of what she’s been missing, that being the family. And now that she’s back, she’s going to get Jellybean back in school and find herself a job. Maybe at a garage. Gladys insists that her intentions are pure. She’s looking at their situation as a do-over to become a family again. With FP's 50th birthday approaching, Gladys is throwing him a party at the speakeasy and wants Jughead to give a speech. He agrees.

  
A Serpent meeting is held at Riverdale High. Jughead, Sweet Pea and Fangs attend. Today, the Serpents start a new chapter, FP announces. They’re all now officially law keepers, which is why he pulled Tom in to help as he’s the best Sheriff Riverdale’s ever had. Tom explains that a lot of what they’ll be doing over the next couple of months will be basic training. Each junior deputy will be paired with an officer who will mentor them. Jughead is paired with his father.

  
Jughead and FP hit the streets. Jughead asks if his father ever saw himself sitting in the driver’s seat of a sheriff’s cruiser. FP never imagined he’d even make it to 50. He figured that he’d get himself killed or drink himself to death like his father did. Jughead asks what he’s most proud of. FP replies that he’s most proud of Jughead and Jellybean. Jughead then questions if they’re really going through with it, moving into the Cooper house. FP believes that they deserve it. For the first time ever, he’s in a place where he can provide for them. Dispatcher then radios in a 10-23 at Pop’s. FP turns on his siren and hits the gas.

  
Before long, they arrive at the scene of the crime. Veronica explains that a Fizzle Rocks junkie spazzed out and threw hot coffee all over a waitress before running out. Jughead had presumed that Fizzle Rocks were gone and that the candy epidemic was over. However, FP has heard rumblings of someone looking to reopen the candy business. As his father takes Pop Tate and Delores’ statement, Jughead looks at Veronica, suspecting that it may be her father trying to reignite the candy crisis.

Cheryl heads outside in search of Toni, though she finds Nana Rose trimming the flowers. Rose hadn’t seen Toni since she gave her an envelope of money for rent.

  
After thinking over their previous conversation of making Reggie a business partner, Veronica hands him an envelope of money. She gives him what she believes to be a good and fair starting salary. Reggie feels insulted, as if he’s nothing more than a helping hand to Veronica. He accuses her of just trying to clear her own conscious. Before the situation escalates, Veronica suggests that Reggie take the rest of the night off to clear his head and recalibrate his attitude. He agrees, sitting the money back down on the bar before leaving.

  
Archie, Jughead, and Betty meet up in the bunker, where Archie reveals that Hiram made 12 of the Red Paladin Quest Cards. That means there could be as many as 10 cards in play. So, they have to figure out how to track them and whoever’s holding them. Hiram, fortunately, gave Archie a list of where G&G players like to congregate, such as Sudd Laundromat, Innuendo, and the comic book shop, where Betty would like to start at to see if they can tap into Riverdale’s gaming network.

  
Archie, Betty, and Jughead head down to MLJ comics, where they interrupt a game of G&G. They ask if the players recognize the Quest Card. Not only do they recognize the card, they recognize Archie as the Red Paladin. Betty asks who gave them the card, to which the Game Master reveals that it was given to them by one of the King's disciples i.e. the Gargoyles. They delivered the card for him. As for what the disciple were actually delivering, Jughead presumes Fizzle Rocks. Archie asks who has the card now, but none of them in the room have it. Jughead wonders why the card handlers haven’t made a play against Archie yet. The Game Master reveals that the Red Paladin is an advanced quest. It takes time to adequately prepare for it. But they’ll act on it sooner or later.

  
As planned, Betty stays over at Veronica’s. Veronica asks how Betty’s relationship with Jughead’s been since his mother has returned. Betty reveals that all is good, but he told her that she could stay in the house with them, in her old room, which is too weird for Betty, though it would give her the chance to get to know Jellybean and Gladys better. Veronica only asks because there’s something she has to tell Betty about Jughead’s mom. Veronica can’t risk Betty getting caught up in this and so she reveals that Gladys is taking over the drug trade in Riverdale. Fizzle Rocks is getting ready for a comeback with Gladys leading the charge. Betty wants to know everything so that she can in return share this with Jughead.

  
Betty, Archie, and Jughead regroup in the bunker. Spread across the table are photos of both victims and symbols related to the game. Archie is still taking in the fact that there are stranger out there who want to kill him. Betty explains that the game makes people crazy. Jughead adds on, stating that the hardcore gamers are so obsessive that they take any message they receive from the Gargoyle King as gospel. He wants to harness that. They know the only way to complete Hiram’s quest is to kill the Red Paladin. But, no one said that the Gargoyle King can’t add on to his own quest and offer a different outcome. Jughead asks if they remember when the three of them were in elementary school and it was snowing, and they played the game "King of the Mountain". Archie remembers, but Betty does not. Archie won every time, so Jughead wants to play to his strengths. He’ll write an addendum to the quest that says the Red Paladin will defend his mountaintop for 12 hours, dusk til dawn. Anyone that has the "Kill the Red Paladin" card can try and take Archie down, but if they don’t by the time the challenge ends, the mark of the sacrifice is lifted. Archie agrees to do it. He also agrees to Betty’s terms of no weapons, hand-to-hand combat only, and one challenger at a time. With that being said, they’re going to need a space. A mountaintop that’ll increase Archie’s chances of winning. Archie knows of someone who can help provide that. He tells Jughead to get to writing and that he’ll call him when everything’s in place. Once Archie is gone, Betty reveals to Jughead, without giving up her source, that Fizzle Rocks may be coming back to Riverdale. Jughead bets its Hiram, but Betty’s source says that it’s Jughead’s mom stepping in. While Betty can’t give up her source, she insists that they’re trustworthy. Jughead takes this in and decides that he’ll look into it alone.

  
Archie goes to Hiram with a request. He needs somewhere to host and end his Red Paladin challenge. Archie’s calling in everyone who has one of the Quest Cards, and since Hiram’s the reason for all this, Archie figured he could help him find an appropriate spot. Hiram recently acquired a city block near Sweetwater Docks, where there are various shuttered businesses, including a hole-in-the-wall boxing gym. Right now, it’s just sitting there. Hiram gives Archie the keys and allows him to use it.

  
Archie enters the gym. He turns on the lights to find that it is a complete mess. He then calls Jughead, who is typing up the addendum and tells him that he’s found a place for the mountain top. An old boxing gym by the docks. Jughead will add it to the quest and have the guys distribute it the same way Hiram did. After finishing up the quest, Jughead calls the Serpents to the bunker. He tells Sweet Pea and Fangs to go to the old comic shop while Old Deuteronomy and Weasel are going to hit Innuendo, and Termite and Jinx cover All About the Glaze. On top of that, they need to canvas all of Hiram’s hot spots if they’re going to get the word out fast enough. Sweet Pea asks about the Gargoyle masks that Jughead passed out. They’re expected to wear them to convince the players that this quest came directly from the Gargoyle King. There’s one more thing. They aren’t just gaming hot spots. They were hubs for Hiram’s Fizzle Rocks trade, and Jughead’s heard rumor that a new player is moving to restart it. He wants them to discreetly suss any information they can. And if they find anything, he wants them to only come to him.

  
Gladys brings Reggie back to La Bonne Nuit after catching him trying to steal his car back before Gladys and Veronica settled their account. Veronica hopes to make it up. She offers to cover the expenses for FP’s birthday at the speakeasy. Gladys agrees and tells Veronica to keep Reggie under control. Veronica questions how he could’ve done something so reckless when they’re so close to paying off their debt to Gladys and her father. Reggie apologizes. But, he’s still upset about his disagreement with Veronica. He gave her everything. He at least wanted to get his car back.

Toni confronts Cheryl who enters La Bonne Nuit, claiming she’s there to gamble. Toni questions if Cheryl has any ulterior motives, but Cheryl claims to have none outside of winning. She then appears to be casing the place, which doesn’t go unnoticed by Toni.

  
Jughead, Betty, and Archie wait at the gym for Archie’s challengers to arrive. Just as they start to question if maybe they didn’t give it enough time for word to get around, Archie’s opponents arrive. Jughead welcomes all challengers to the Iron Mountain. He instructs them to approach the hallowed battleground, submit their Quest Card, and bring the Red Paladin to his knees in three minutes to win the quest. However, should they run out of time or fall to the Paladin’s hand, then their quest is over. The first fighter enters the ring after passing Betty his Quest Card. Archie ends the first fight with a single punch. Dropping his the challenger. However, the fights that follow are not so easily won. Jughead and Betty watch as Archie goes blow for blow with each challenger.

  
After closing, Cheryl sneaks into La Bonne Nuit and attempts to break into the safe, but she is caught in the act by Toni. Toni saw Cheryl casing the speakeasy earlier, but she also knows that Cheryl wanted her to know it. Cheryl asks what Toni is going to do about it. Toni slowly approaches Cheryl, unzips her jacket and kisses her. The two then proceed to remove their clothes and have sex. Cheryl sits in a chair blindfolded as Toni gives her a lap dance.

  
Archie has somehow miraculously survived 9 fights. In total, including Ricky’s card and Warden Norton’s card, Betty has a count of 11, meaning one is missing. The final fighter arrives. Captain Golightly. A guard at Leopold and Loeb Juvenile Detention Center. Beaten, cut, and bruised, Archie accepts the final fight as he wants the sacrifice mark off him. Golightly enters the ring and he and Archie immediately go at it. However, in his weakened state, Archie is barely able to defend himself. He gets Archie on the ropes and as he goes in for the final blow, Archie hits him with a surprise uppercut, knocking Golightly unconscious. Betty and Jughead cheer Archie on, joining him in the ring after having ended the quest.

  
After sex, the girls get dressed and decide to talk about the tension building in their relationship. Toni thinks that Cheryl has a problem with the Poisons because for once she’s in charge of something. Cheryl denies this. She’s upset because Toni seems to spend all her time with them instead of her. While Toni loves Cheryl, she can’t spend all her time cooped up in Thistlehouse, in Cheryl’s bedroom. Cheryl states that it’s their bedroom, but as Toni points out, it doesn’t feel like that at all. It’s entirely Cheryl’s space. Toni regrets moving in with Cheryl, reasoning that it was too soon. In that case, Cheryl tells Toni to move out and then she herself leaves La Bonne Nuit.

  
Archie thanks Hiram for allowing him to borrow the gym. Time will tell if it was a successful night, but the quest Hiram put into play is finished. As he hands Hiram back the keys, Hiram surprisingly tells Archie to keep them and the gym. While Archie appreciates the offer and Hiram’s help, he doesn’t want to be in his debt. However, it’s actually compensation. A way for Hiram to make amends since he was responsible for launching the quest.

  
After a night off, Veronica and Reggie meet back up at La Bonne Nuit. Veronica asks if he is self-destructing because she won’t make him her business partner. Reggie admits this is part of the reason. He also has an issue with how he’s being treated by Veronica. He wants to be more than just her errand boy, Pit boss, and casual hook up. Veronica assures Reggie that he matters, but lest they forget that she just went through a wrenching breakup with Archie just a few months ago. Reggie questions if they would even be dating if not for the speakeasy, which Veronica admits that they probably wouldn’t be, but she’s glad they are. Reggie feels as if Veronica owes him for all he’s given up for her, but he’s not given an ounce in return. Having heard enough, Veronica returns Reggie’s car keys to him after buying it back from Gladys. Now they don’t owe each other anything. With his keys in hand, Reggie leaves the speakeasy.

Fangs and Sweet Pea return to the bunker, where Jughead inquires about their night. Sweet Pea reveals that they have some bad news in regards to his mom, who is taking over the drug trade.

  
Jughead returns to the trailer to confront his mother. He’d been hearing rumors that she didn’t return to town to get the family back together, but to take over Hiram’s drug trade. Gladys admits this is true. She claims to be doing it for all of them, so that they can live the America Dream for once. Jughead calls it criminal and selfish. While it may be illegal, Gladys insists that it’s far from selfish. Where she and FP comes from, no one ever handed them anything. They had to hustle and scam just to make sure there was food on the table and that Jughead and Jellybean had a roof over their heads. While Gladys isn’t proud of all she’s done, which Jughead doesn’t even know the half of, she and FP did their best to ensure that the family survived. And now, they’re moving to a nice house on Elm Street, which is all FP has ever wanted. However, he would not be okay knowing how Gladys paid for the house, which is why she tells Jughead not to say a word to him about it. It would break him again. Maybe for the last time, which is the last thing Jughead wants.

  
As planned, FP’s 50th birthday party is held at La Bonne Nuit. Betty and Jughead, respectively, wishes him a happy birthday and gives him a hug. He then recalls that not too long ago, she threw a party for Jughead. Fred then arrives to the party to wish FP a happy 50th, even if FP may think it’s a bit too much. Fred reminds him that he won’t get too many nights like this one, so he best soak it up. However, FP feels as if he stumbled into the party where he doesn’t belong. Fred explains that everyone takes their own path and that FP’s brought him here. In addition to that, they’re going to be neighbors, which Fred is happy about.

  
Cheryl messages Kevin and tells him to meet her at Thistlehouse. He’s sorry to hear of her breakup with Toni, though Cheryl isn’t too concerned, quoting the phrase "Que sera, sera", which means "whatever will be, will be." This phrase is also heavily featured in the iconic high school black comedy Heathers. Cheryl then informs Kevin that there’s a musical version of it. However, Kevin knows where she is going with this, explaining that The Farm is co-sponsoring the musical this year, and it’s going to be Godspell. Cheryl needs to focus her rage, therefore this year’s musical is Heathers as far as she’s concerned. Kevin’s directing and she’s playing HBIC Heather Chandler.

  
Gladys gets on stage to thank everyone for coming out as Betty, Jughead, FP and Jellybean sit at a table together, with Archie, Veronica, Fred, and Tom just behind them. Once, FP was a great king. But by Gladys’ account, the greatest role that he’s ever held is that of a father. She then invites Jughead to say a few words. Before he goes up, Betty asks if he even has an idea of what he’s going to say, to which he replies that he doesn’t. Jughead starts off his speech with a joke about how he and his father don’t like birthday parties. Jughead remembers when FP made him promise not to stop writing. Not for anything. And Jughead hasn’t. He’s written everyday. But he could punch keys every night in a booth at Pop’s and never come up with a story as unique as his father’s. He’s gone from being a Serpent King to Sheriff. Someone that most people had written off. He’s a man whose righted his wrongs and reunited the family. That’s who he is to Jughead. Someone who would do anything for his family. Jughead ends his speech with how proud he is to not only be FP’s son but to share his name and be part of his amazing story. A teary eyed FP hugs Jughead as he leaves the stage.

Afterward, Betty and Jughead discuss his speech, only most of which was true. They then look over to Jughead’s mother, father, and sister, and wonder what his next move will be. Jughead’s plan is to save Jellybean, protect his dad, and run his mom out of town. And he enlists in Betty’s help.


	8. Big Fun

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As rehearsals for this year's musical "Heathers: The Musical" get underway, Cheryl, as queen bee Heather Chandler, channels her own HBIC to deal with a recent fallout. Meanwhile, Betty grows increasingly annoyed by Evelyn's involvement with the musical – as well as the lives of her friends. Elsewhere, Veronica learns some devastating news about her family, and Archie and Josie make a decision about their future. Jughead makes a surprising move against Gladys. Lastly, Lorcan is singing her new cover that her pen-pal from England done.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lorcan's pen-pal is Stupendium.

As mayor, Hermione goes straight to Principal Weatherbee after discovering that this year’s musical is Heathers, which focuses on teen violence and suicide. Hermione explains that this is a terrible idea given the tragedy of last year’s musical. Kevin and Evelyn are there to maintain their stance and see to it that the play goes on. While Heathers deals with teen alienation and desperation, it’s characters however long for simpler and more innocent times. Its ultimate message is a rejection to nihilism. Kevin and Evelyn then proceed to sing the lyrics of the first song in hopes of convincing Hermione that the musical is in everyone’s best interest.

Simultaneously, at Pop’s, Veronica sings while getting the diner in order and placing a help wanted sign on the front door as she’s in search of a new bouncer.

At the Andrews house, Archie and Josie sing to one another.

Meanwhile, at the Jones house, formerly known as the Cooper house, Jughead shares with Betty that he had a dream of him searching for a needle in a haystack. Betty assures Jughead that his plan is a good one. His mom can’t start dealing drugs without a lab to make them in. So, all he has to do is find the lab and shut it down to stop her from getting a toehold. Betty and Jughead then start singing.

Back at Riverdale High, Kevin reveals to Hermione and Weatherbee just how clueless they are in regards to what the students are dealing with. In the classroom sits Josie, Archie, Reggie, Sweet Pea, Fangs, and Evelyn, who all proceeds to break out in song and dance, leading Hermione to questions if they’re all truly this miserable. Kevin explains that there’s also Cheryl, who’s floating above it all as Heather Chandler. Aside Cheryl stands Betty and Veronica, who join her in song. Cheryl was distraught after her break up with Toni, but then she gave herself the role of HBIC. Veronica and Betty are playing the other Heathers, Heather McNamara and Heather Duke. Cheryl, Veronica, and Betty resume their act, that is until Toni, Peaches 'N Cream, and the Pretty Poisons arrive at school. Reggie, Sweet Pea, Fangs, Archie, Josie, Peaches, and Evelyn then come down the hall to join in and make their way to the auditorium. Kevin, Cheryl, Veronica, Betty, Reggie, Sweet Pea, Fangs, Archie, Josie, Peaches, and Evelyn get on stage, where they conclude their performance.

Afterward, Kevin announces that there’s been a slight change to their creative team. While Evelyn has been helping him produce the musical, he’s recently asked her to step up and be his co-director, much to Betty’s disdain, as she points out that Kevin has always directed the musical alone, which Kevin reveals has always been incredibly stressful, especially after last year’s incident, with Midge being killed by the Black Hood, which Fangs would prefer they not speak of. Kevin then asks for a rundown of everybody’s role. Josie’s playing Veronica Sawyer, outcast turned Heather turned outcast again. Sweet Pea plays JD, Veronica Sawyer’s bad boy love interest. Reggie’s playing Ram Sweeney while Archie plays Kurt Kelly. Just two straight dudes doing some theater, Reggie says. Given how much dancing there is in Heathers, Kevin and Evelyn figured they should bring in a choreographer, that being Toni, which comes as an unwelcome surprise to Cheryl.

Archie, Betty, Veronica, Cheryl, Toni, Josie, Sweet Pea, Fangs, Reggie, and Peaches lay on their backs in the student lounge as Evelyn tells them that everything in their lives matter. There are universal truths within each of their experiences. In rehearsal, they’re going to explore their own personal traumas and experiences and exercise them through their art. Kevin interrupts to inform Cheryl, Veronica, and Betty that "Candy Store" set and costumes are ready.

Once in the auditorium, Kevin explains to Cheryl, Veronica, and Betty that this number is about the Heathers undeniable power that each of them can get at any given time. Toni, Peaches, and the Poisons are also on stage. Toni, as choreographer, wants to start with some simple steps, but Cheryl, still upset over their breakup, doesn’t want to hear it, telling both Toni and Kevin that she, Betty, and Veronica have already worked out their own choreography. Toni’s attempt at being professional is undermined by Cheryl, who along with Betty and Veronica, begin their musical number. Toni, Peaches, and the Poisons join in on the number, which upsets Cheryl, leading to a showdown between the two, who go back and forth on stage. Cheryl stops in the middle of their performance to tell Toni to shut up, though Toni persists, and so Cheryl shoves her and concludes the song.

Betty confronts Evelyn on her suspicions of Evelyn’s less than pure motives with joining Kevin in directing the musical. Betty suspects that Evelyn’s using the musical as a recruitment drive for the Farm, who are sponsoring the play. Betty came to this conclusion after Evelyn strong-armed her way into directing the musical. Also, her warm-up sermons and exercising trauma through art screams cult recruitment to Betty. Evelyn wants to dissect Betty’s trust issues. Evelyn claims that the Farm is producing and she’s co-directing the musical for one simply reason. To have big fun. In fact, Evelyn makes an announcement, inviting everyone to a cast party at the former Sisters of Quiet Mercy. Also, while it may seem weird, Evelyn tells everyone to come in costume.

Lorcan's in the music room with her laptop and camera. She places in her microphone and start live streaming in front of her camera.

"What's up, y'all? Lorcan Darcy here in the music room of Riverdale High for this special week. This week is the week where the school is doing Heathers: the Musical. So, I have time to sing this new song, but before I do the new song I like to say a big shout out to Stupendium for let me do his new song, Art of Darkness and please love my song and help me get up to fifty." Lorcan said while doing a live-stream. She turns on Art of Darkness by Stupendium. "Now, let's the song begins."

_Boris, meet your maker!_  
_Ahh, I'll tell you later_  
_It seems this scene_  
_Has us careening down an elevator_  
_Must have been dreaming_  
_To think we’d make a clean escape_  
_I doubt that one machine here_  
_Could make it past a regulator_

_Swear we never had this many levels_  
_Where's the excavator?_  
_What's so scary_  
_’Bout a library and a record player?_  
_Thought I'd find the angel_  
_In a basement more dilapidated_  
_This is kinda tasteful_  
_Alice, tell me, who's your decorator?_

_I never make a lady wait_  
_I guess you'd say that I'm a player_  
_Angel wants a date_  
_And I would really hate to aggravate her_  
_Boris don't you worry_  
_I would never let her separate us_  
_Hold it. Where'd you go? Damn_  
_Guess I'd better go and save him_

_Alice thinks that hackin’ up my pal_  
_Is gonna medicate her_  
_Fallacy! The treatment this gal would need_  
_Is an eraser!_  
_Rap against an animator?_  
_Alice get back on your paper_  
_Rhyming on the multiplane_  
_My lyrics work on several layers_

_[Chorus]_  
_If you thought that demons were your problem right now_  
_Well the angel’s on the stage so pipe down_  
_If there are secrets that you want to find out_  
_Hop on the ink machine and ride those pipes down_  
_So you're on the path of the starving artist?_  
_But at the heart, well, the art is heartless_  
_Ever seen a masterpiece get discarded?_  
_Start and depart for the art of darkness_

_[Verse 2]_  
_Out of the deep dark depths below_  
_Three ne’er-do-wells will avenge their souls_  
_With a spanner and a wrench and a thirst to quench_  
_Heigh ho! It's off to work we go_

_[Fisher:]_  
_Heave ho! Fisher's coming crawling out the sea foam_  
_Givin' you the willies as I’m stepping off my steamboat_  
_Left here by the gods and beheaded by a rod_  
_I've some deadly black spots for the clod who left us below!_

_[Piper:]_  
_Should have headed for the bread line_  
_Never ever meddled with a pencil lead and bred lines_  
_Monkey with a wrench might thunk you in the head_  
_Henry, can you see the headlines?_  
_"Animator dead by an enemy he designed"_

_[Striker:]_  
_There once was an angel who swallowed a spider_  
_It wriggled inside her and out came the striker_  
_Who'd have thought your silly little villain for the children_  
_Would be killing for your heroine?_  
_So let her win or die first_

_[Chorus]_  
_If you thought that demons were your problem right now_  
_Well the angel's on the stage so pipe down_  
_If there are secrets that you want to find out_  
_Hop on the ink machine and ride those pipes down_  
_So you're on the path of the starving artist?_  
_But at the heart, well, the art is heartless_  
_Ever seen a masterpiece get discarded?_  
_Start and depart for the art of darkness_

_[Verse 3: Bertrum Piedmont]_  
_There's no need to be scared now_  
_It's all the fun of the fairground_  
_And I would say I'm on fair grounds_  
_To take a little revenge now_  
_Everybody's heard of Bertrum Piedmont_  
_Because my work retains a certain frisson_  
_A hurtling free-fall, disturbing demons_  
_Are out of season, so must you keep on?_

_Are you caught in a spin?_  
_Wurlitzer shame that your organs and limbs will be lost in the ink_  
_Well it's awfully grim, did you want to be him?_  
_Waltzer better man than you've ever been_  
_It's a downward spiral, time you felt a_  
_Little hell up in the helter skelter_  
_No help or shelter, board the ride_  
_Don't you know you've gotta be this tall to die_

_So sing along to the bouncing ball_  
_Wave your flags and renounce these halls_  
_You may have been sacked from this pantomime_  
_But a pal of mine wants you recalled_  
_So march along to the count of four_  
_Astound at the scoundrel crowd you've drawn_  
_Left stranded and damned to this mangled form_  
_To abandon us here was an act of war_

_[The Butcher Gang:]_  
_It's laughable to think you'll bring back the norm_  
_We've ink but no malpractice forms_  
_But Henry! You never gave a crap before!_  
_'Til we trapped you down 'neath the factory floor_  
_Clap along to the rapturous score_  
_Three rounds down and back for more_  
_To find the keys in chapter four_

_[Bertrum Piedmont:]_  
_Remind me, where've you heard that before?_

_[Chorus]_  
_If you thought that demons were your problem right now_  
_Well the angel's on the stage so pipe down_  
_If there are secrets that you want to find out_  
_Hop on the ink machine and ride those pipes down_  
_So you're on the path of the starving artist?_  
_But at the heart, well, the art is heartless_  
_Ever seen a masterpiece get discarded?_  
_Start and depart for the art of darkness_

_[Verse 4: Henry]_  
_Well I dropped in from the top and now I've got to block the_  
_Monsters popping off Nosferatu's rostrum_  
_Preposterous! That after all this my Oscars will be posthumous_  
_I live for my work but I'd die to stop them_  
_Stationery should be stationary, shouldn't talk back_  
_I need a shrink, I'm on the brink, the ink has fought back_  
_Thought that the apocalypse was supposed to live on horseback_  
_Screw that! Deliverance was hidden in the Rorschach_

_That's all folks! Keep dreaming!_

After the song ended, the viewers give her thumbs up which bounds her up to fifty. Lorcan smiles that she's doing excellent. "Thank you so much guys to help me. I'm going to be number one! So, thanks for listening to this song and make sure you leave the like and subscribe to my channel on YouTube. Thank you all so much and see y'all around."

Lorcan turns off the camera and end the live stream before smiling. Jake walks in while wearing white with Max and Dawn.

"I watched your live-stream, you did great." Jake said as Lorcan smile.

"Thanks. So, you joined?" Lorcan asked.

"Yeah, I'm getting some information on them like you said." Jake said.

"Too bad we're not members." Max said as he give Jake a high-five.

"I know, because we're getting revenge. We will take them down once and for all in our final battle." Jake said.

"Do you know what are they planning with more members?" Lorcan asked.

"Yeah, they're planning for the ascension." Jake answers.

At the sheriff station, FP and Jughead discuss a string of pharmacy break-ins along with the ransacking of Tent City. The Jones’ old trailer was stolen. Jughead suspects that it’s the making of a mobile drug lab. He wants to get the Serpents involved to help look for the trailer, but FP doesn’t believe it’s worth the effort as the trailer was worthless. However, it wasn’t worthless to Jughead. That was their home for many years. Too many years as far as his father is concerned.

  
Veronica returns home to find her mother and father awaiting her arrival. Veronica tells them that she’s just popping in to change as she’s attending a cast party, but they have something important to tell her. Hiram and Hermione reveal that they’re separating. Veronica takes this as a joke initially, but it is anything but. Hiram in fact will be staying at the Five Seasons indefinitely. Veronica can’t believe that it has come to this. Whatever has happened, she wants to figure it out as family. When she asks to be clued in, Hermione reveals that Hiram knows the truth. That she sold the drugs out from under him while he was in the hospital. Realizing that this could mean that her father may retaliate, Veronica asks her mother what she is planning to do, to which Hermione replies that she’s going to take a bath.

  
The cast meets up at the Sisters of Quiet Mercy compound as planned. Given the night she’s had, Veronica could use a liberation and she decides to take a shot, as do Reggie, Sweet Pea, and Fangs. Betty continues her investigation of Evelyn. She wonders what Evelyn’s father would say about all this. Evelyn replies that there is no need to wonder as her father’s approving of their get together. She, Reggie, Sweet Pea, Fangs, Kevin, Cheryl, Veronica, Josie, and Archie then start to sing and dance. Reggie and Veronica break off from the others to perform a duet and make out. While singing with Fangs, Sweet Pea stumbles upon Archie and Josie having an intimate moment. Just then, Toni, Peaches 'N Cream, and the Pretty Poisons join in, which upsets Cheryl, as she was hoping that Toni wouldn’t come. Evelyn notices Cheryl’s troubles and tells her to let everything go and to follow her lead. With the exception of Betty, who watches from afar, everyone comes back together to finish the musical number.

  
Veronica and Reggie return to the Pembrooke, where they hookup. Afterward, Reggie reveals to Veronica that he was afraid that the two of them were never going to get together again. But maybe the two of them are meant to be together. Veronica calls out Reggie’s name as if to tell him something, but she kisses him instead.

Back at the party, Evelyn offers Kevin an organic brownie with farm-grown maple mushrooms baked in. She claims they’re transformative. Shortly after eating the brownie, Kevin starts to hallucinate. Just down the hall, he sees Midge pinned to the walls with knives and a message written in blood that says "All Your Fault. You Killed Me, Kevin".

  
Archie, Jughead, Betty, Veronica, Cheryl, Toni, Josie, Sweet Pea, Fangs, Reggie, Peaches, Evelyn, and Kevin meet back up in the auditorium the following day. They’re each going to share something they’ve never told anyone before. Kevin reveals that he’s being haunted by Midge’s ghost. He’s been thinking about her all the time since rehearsal started as he feels guilty. Fangs has been seeing her as well, but in his nightmares. Evelyn sees this as a beautiful experience. Through revealing their truth, they’ve found an unexpected connection. Sweet Pea reveals that it hurt him to see Archie and Josie getting cozy last night. This is the first of Betty hearing about this, and so she looks to Archie and asks if he and Josie are dating, but he doesn’t answer. Under the suspicion that he may have been nothing more than a rebound, Reggie asks Veronica if she knew of Archie and Josie’s relationship. Veronica had no idea, she claims. Evelyn then asks if Veronica has anything to share. She tells the group that her parents are separating. Admittedly, her family is unconventional, but she always thought no matter what that they’d stay together. Hearing this, Betty goes over to comfort Veronica.

  
Archie approaches Josie in the music room to discuss their relationship. Josie is quite upset that Sweet Pea exposed them, though Archie is happy that it is now out in the open. He wants to make them official, but Josie is against it. The other day, when Archie asked how they got together, Josie explains that they were lonely. It’s not a strong bedrock. Josie sees them as nothing more than lonely souls filling a void.

Reggie now realizes that the real reason Veronica wanted to get back together is because her parents are separating. Veronica wanted to ignore it and feel better, so she kept it to herself. Reggie also makes her feel better. She knows how this may seem, which is why she would understand him not wanting to talk to her again, however, that’s not what Reggie’s saying. While what’s happening in Veronica’s home life is tragic, he doesn’t think that he and Veronica should be together at the moment.

  
Evelyn approaches Cheryl in the restroom to inform her of Toni’s arrival just outside. Cheryl exits the restroom to find Toni in an all-red outfit. Cheryl is enraged, immediately confronting Toni and informing her that she’s wearing Cheryl’s signature color. Toni states that Cheryl doesn’t own the color red and that it existed before her. Cheryl retorts that it didn’t at Riverdale High. Here, she invented red. Cheryl tells Toni that the school isn’t big enough for the two of them. Cheryl recommends Centerville High or Westerberg. Nevertheless, she gives Toni until first bell Monday to clear every trace of herself from the school. Toni breaks out in song. She sings through the halls of Riverdale High, eventually finding herself in the student lounge, where she finds Peaches 'N Cream and Sweet Pea, both of whom she wishes to get intimate with. Toni takes them both to the auditorium and tells them to get undressed. Unbeknownst to Toni, Cheryl sits off by the window. She decides to join in on the song. Toni caves at the last moment and tells both Sweet Pea and Peaches who are nearly naked that she’s sorry as she can’t go through with it.

  
With Sweet Pea and Fangs on musical detail, Jughead calls in the rest of the Serpents to the bunker, where he has put them in groups and tasked them with finding his old family trailer. If he’s right, the trailer is being used for a drug lab, and they need to shut it down. As the Serpents head out, Jughead asks Betty if she wants to go hunting with him, but she can’t as Evelyn’s called a closed rehearsal for select cast members in the Gargoyle Chamber, and Betty wants to investigate, asking Jughead to borrow his camera.

  
Betty sneaks into the Sisters of Quiet Mercy compound. She peeks through the doors of the chamber to the sight of Evelyn standing before Kevin and Fangs, who are down on their knees singing. Betty takes photos of the rehearsal as Kevin and Fangs rise to their feet and kiss, and Evelyn leads the rehearsal.

Josie finds Archie boxing at the gym. They both have something to say to the other. Archie goes first. If Josie doesn’t want to be in a relationship because she’s not into him, then he’s fine with that, but if she does like him then he wants to start figuring out what they are and what they can be to each other. Archie wants to fight for their relationship and it seems like Josie is willing. The two of them then start to sing and dance.

  
Betty goes to Weatherbee with the photos she took from the Gargoyle Chamber of Evelyn, Kevin, and Fangs surrounded by members of the Farm. Betty claims that the musical is being used to indoctrinate students into a cult. From Weatherbee’s perspective, it looks like they’re simply rehearsing. Betty insists that the photos capture some kind of ritualistic ceremony. However, Weatherbee would beg to differ. The Farm is a fully sanctioned club, approved by Weatherbee after he read Edgar’s doctrine. Which Weatherbee found to be fascinating. After being dismissed by Weatherbee, Betty calls Jughead as she suspects that he’s a part of the Farm. Jughead has news as well and asks Betty to meet him at Junkyard Steve’s.

  
Toni visits Cheryl at Thistlehouse to extend an olive branch. Cheryl surmises that Toni’s there to beg for clemency, but she’s not. Toni’s there for them. She doesn’t even know what they’re fighting about. Toni then asks what love was like in Cheryl’s family. It was all or nothing. Pure adoration or distilled hate. Thornhill was a den of shadows, and Jason was her only light. And then he died, and it was dark again until Cheryl met Toni. Then it felt like Toni was disappearing on her too. Toni insists that she isn’t going anywhere and that maybe there’s still a chance for them.

  
Jughead gets word from one of the Serpents that they’ve found his trailer, and so he and Betty decide to investigate. As Jughead suspected, inside the trailer, they find all the makings of a drug lab. Jughead is distraught as his own mother destroyed his childhood home. He looks around the trailer in disgust at what it’s become. He wonders at what point did their lives get so crazy to the point where they have to worry about drug lord mothers and serial killer fathers.

They’ve now reached the emotional climax of the musical. "Seventeen" captures the longing all the characters feel for what they’ve lost, their teen innocence, Kevin tells Sweet Pea and Josie.

  
At the trailer, Jughead is stressing out as he has no idea what his next move will be. Betty starts to sing "Seventeen", suggesting that they just be normal, like seeing bad movies, sneaking beers, and watching TV. She comforts a wallowing Jughead, offering nothing but to bring him happiness. The two then proceed to dance and kiss in the trailer.

At Thistlehouse, Toni and Cheryl are also singing "Seventeen". They sing to one another in bed before sharing a kiss.

Jughead and Betty head to Pop’s to discuss their next course of action. Jughead wants to steal the trailer back while everyone’s at the play. He can get the keys from Archie’s dad’s truck and move it to get it out of his mom’s hands. Betty points out how this idea is more emotional than practical. She would rather Jughead just let it go.

  
Veronica goes to the Five Seasons hotel hoping to convince her father to come home. Hiram reveals the real reason that he and Hermione are getting a divorce is because he found out that she tried to have him killed twice. While Veronica claims to have had no knowledge of this, he believes that at least part of her already knew. Veronica reminds her father that he always says "Family is the most important thing." However, as Hiram points out, family’s trust. Veronica and Hermione betrayed him, so there isn’t a family anymore.

  
It’s time for Veronica’s solo in the auditorium. Kevin was going to talk about the devastating loneliness that Veronica’s character feels at this moment, but it seems like Veronica’s already there. Veronica then starts to sing on stage. Afterward, she calls her parents to ask them to meet her at La Bonne Nuit. While she recognizes their irreconcilable differences, she has one request to make. She wants them to come to opening night of Heathers: The Musical. To make one last happy memory.

  
FP returns home from an incident at work to find Gladys, Jughead, Betty, and Jellybean eating pizza by the fireplace. He’s bleeding from being scratched and asks Jellybean to get him a clean shirt. FP reveals that some tweaked-out Fizzle-head was playing Gryphons and Gargoyles in the middle of the road. The candy store is definitely back open and FP intends to find whoever is cooking the Fizzle Rocks. As Gladys cleans FP’s wounds, Jughead and Betty get ready to leave. He claims that they need to make a quick stop before heading to the play. A little pre-show tradition.

  
Backstage, just ten minutes out, Evelyn and Kevin get everything in order in preparation for the musical to begin. Veronica peaks out from behind the curtain to see her parents sitting next to each other, though Hiram and Hermione do not speak. Meanwhile, in the dressing room, the rest of the cast is preparing. Archie and Josie are kissing, as are Toni and Cheryl. Betty and Jughead arrive with dirt all on their face, just short of opening. Kevin and Evelyn instructs them to get to make up and to make sure that Jughead knows his line and choreography for the finale. Jughead questions when he received a line as he isn’t part of the cast. Betty explains that it’s kind of a big statement song that Kevin wants everyone in on. She assures and tells Jughead to follow her lead as it’s basically just a costume change.

  
The musical ends with Sweet Pea, Max, Toni, Reggie, Josie, Archie, Veronica, Cheryl, Betty, Jughead, Kevin, Evelyn, and Fangs on stage singing "Seventeen". Many are in attendance, including FP, Gladys, and Jellybean. Betty takes an uneasy Jughead’s hand. As it turns out, when the two of them left the house for their pre-show transition, they actually burned down his childhood home. As the trailer goes up in flames, Betty asks Jughead if he’s okay. He replies that he’s surviving, because Betty’s there with him. The two of them proceed to make out in the car as the trailer burns. Penelope also attends the musical, watching from the audience along with Hiram and Hermione. Lorcan walks down the hallway and sees someone very familiar. As the musical concludes, Edgar Evernever rises from the audience, clapping slowly and very dramatic-like. He is joined by over a dozen members of the Farm, who are all wearing white and join in on the slow clap. From the stage, Evelyn states that she knew her dad would like it. Bill, Audra, Molly, Toby, Weatherbee and Mrs. Klump appear to be one with the Farm as they too are wearing white and applauding the performance. Lorcan, Kyle and Anya became shocked that her family becomes one of them with out telling them, Jake was shocked about Lorcan's family at well while applauding.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whoa, it's a shocked. Lorcan's family have become members of the Farm all except Jenny, her, Kyle, Anya, Max, Dawn and Ellie. Jake has become an undercover spy for their side.


	9. I can't believe it!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An hour after Heathers: The Musical, Lorcan, Jake Kyle, Anya, Jenny, Max and Dawn calls a secret meeting. Now, Lorcan begins to elaborate their plan for their group is to build the Resistance.

"What?!" Jenny asked in shocked.

"We saw them wearing white! They're one of the Farmies now!" Kyle said.

"It's true. I saw them!" Jake said.

"I can't believe it." Dawn said. "What are we going to do?"

"We need to keep fighting, that's what we gonna do." Lorcan answers. "There's so many people in different towns whose hated the Farm and escaped. They also wanted to help us take them town."

"She's right. We need to build the Resistance." Jake said about building the Resistance.

"Alright, we're finally gonna build a movement against the Farm!" Max said.

"That's right, we're the Resistance." Lorcan said. "And there's nothing the enemies can do to stop us."

"You know, there is this man who allies with Edgar, Nicholas Durand." Dawn said. "We can take him down first before more of the Farmies attack us."

"Dawn's got a point. He always physically abused us with his fists and gun last time, and we can get revenge on him." Anya said "It'll be payback when we see him again."

"Whole lot better than here, anyway." Lorcan said. "Looks like he'll be our first victim. All in favor?"

"AYE!" The group said in agreement.

"All opposed?" Lorcan asked and nobody didn't answers. "The ayes win, Nicholas Durand is our first victim that the Resistance will face."

"I guess you will lead the group, Lorcan." Max said. 

"Okay." Lorcan accept to lead. "We need more allies than we got and we will fight til then, we need more help from our friends back in Brooklyn and we will defeat the Farm, once and for all."

"Okay, I'm going back to the Farm for another meeting with Edgar. I'll get more information." Jake said to the others.

The group agrees as they prepare to practice to battle against the Farm.


	10. The Raid

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As Betty enlists Cheryl's help to infiltrate The Farm, Archie and Veronica help an ally from his past. Meanwhile, Jughead's attempt to put a stop to Riverdale's drug trade puts him on a collision course with Gladys. Finally, Hiram breaks some surprising news to Veronica.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lorcan will be appear in the ending.

Led by FP and Tom, the Serpents participate in a late night training simulation at the school. Armed with batons, the Serpents clear the perimeter and move in on Jughead’s command. Sweet Pea takes lead with Jughead and Fangs just behind him. They make their way through the student lounge and out into the hallway, where both Sweet Pea and Jughead forget to check their backs, leaving them open to attack as Tom points a red laser at the back of Sweet Pea’s head. They’ve failed the simulation, convincing FP that they aren’t ready for the streets. In order to stop the rogue Gargoyles, they must work as a team.

At Pop’s, Betty asks Veronica if there’s any way she can see her parents’ divorce as a good thing. Veronica has tried, but her parents have raised her to believe that family is the most important thing. Evelyn enters the diner with fliers for the Farm's upcoming open house. They’re opening their doors to visitors. Everyone is welcome to tour their renovated premises, meet with Farm elders and learn about their values and practices.

During breakfast at the Jones house, FP reveals how one of his deputies found their old trailer burned down with drug material inside. After Jellybean pulls FP away with the promise of Saturday morning cartoons, Jughead and Gladys confront one another. She asks if he really thought that blowing up the trailer would change anything. However, Jughead has no plans on stopping until his mother is gone from Riverdale. Although, she has no intentions on leaving. She then grabs Jughead by the back of his head and warns him not to cross her again and then kisses him on the cheek.

Betty and Veronica attend the Farm’s open house. Kevin is their tour guide. At the Farm, they like to nurture everyone’s unique talents. Betty makes a snide remark in regards to the Gargoyle chamber before asking about a particular room labeled 317, to which Kevin claims is just the janitor's closet. As Kevin prepares to take the group to the garden, Betty crosses paths with her mother, who in typical Farm fashion, is wearing an all white outfit. Alice didn’t think Betty would come, to which Betty replies that everyone is welcome. With that being said, Alice tells Betty to enjoy the rest of her tour. However, they haven’t spoke in a while and yet her mother doesn’t seem too happy to see her. Betty questions why. Alice explains that Betty forsook her, not the other way around. Betty then decides to participate in the Farm’s interviewing process. As she enters the chamber, Evelyn informs her that these interviews are reserved for those actually interested in joining the Farm. Betty claims that she is before asking about Evelyn's father, Edgar, who Evelyn says is around. The interview begins. Evelyn asks for name and occupation. She then asks if Betty ever bites her fingernails or feels stressed. Betty replies yes to both. Lastly, she asks if Betty would consider herself a cold person. Betty says no. And on that note, Evelyn concludes the interview.

With the official opening of Hiram’s prisoner approaching, Hermione feels as if she should be there if only for appearances, however, Hiram refuse to allow her to attend. There’s going to be a ribbon-cutting ceremony with Governor Dooley in attendance. And Hiram has very selfishly decided that Hermione isn’t invited. Veronica sides with her father, reasoning that her mother tried to have him killed, twice. Hermione explains that it’s more than just a photo. It’s just a matter of time before their enemies find out about the divorce. Without Hiram’s protection, Hermione’s life could be in danger. She’s made moves and there are people with grudges because of it. In their line of work, when a marriage unravels, the wife of a mafia boss often simply disappears.

Jughead heads over to Archie’s, where they discuss the Cold War with his mother. The nuclear option is that Jughead tells his dad everything, but that could spell mutually-assured destruction. So instead, he and the Serpents are going to dismantle her drug trade piece by piece. Up next, they’re going to drive the Gargoyles out of town, including Kurtz, the cook. Jughead intends to make Riverdale a very unwelcome place for his mother. And if she does go, Archie asks what of Jellybean, though Jughead is still figuring this out himself. Archie then gets a collect call from Mad Dog at the Leopold and Loeb Juvenile Detention Center. He needs Archie’s help.

Jughead calls a Serpent meeting at their new headquarters. Sweet Pea and Fangs are among them. The drug trade has reared its head again in Riverdale. And though his dad doesn’t think they’re ready, they’re going to be Riverdale’s unofficial DEA. That means they’re going to make life miserable for the Gargoyles and run them out of town, starting with the hotspots to make sure that Gladys isn’t using any of Hiram’s old infrastructure.

Archie visits Mad Dog at L&L, who reveals that they’re finally shutting down the detention center. They claim the shutdown is because of what happened to Warden Norton, but in actuality, it's because they’re opening Hiram’s new prison on the Southside. Apparently, a wing of the prison will be designated for juveniles. They’re all being transferred there, and the L&L guards who made them fight, they’re all going to work at Hiram’s prison too, where they can restart the fight club. Even more suspicious, Mad Dog’s parole hearing was suddenly canceled. As well as Baby Teeth's and Thumper's. Mad Dog tried to call his family, but no one is answering. Considering that Mad Dog risked his life for Archie to escape, Archie assures him that he won’t step one foot in Hiram’s prison.

Archie calls Veronica and asks her to meet him at his gym. Veronica questions why her father would just give him a gym, but Archie simply replies that it’s a long story. He tells Veronica that Mad Dog and the others are in danger of being transferred to her father’s prison. He recalls how hard Veronica worked to get him out, but as Veronica reminds him, she broke him out. However, before that, Veronica worked with the Innocence Project petitioning the Governor. As a matter of fact, Veronica happens to know that Governor Dooley is in town, so Veronica wants to address him in person.

Veronica proceeds to invite the governor to the Pembrooke, where Archie awaits him, though the Governor was under the impression that he was meeting Hiram. Veronica explains that was a pretense to lure him in and then she introduces Archie, who wishes to speak with the Governor about the transfer of inmates from Leopold and Loeb to Hiram’s private prison. Archie tells the Governor to put a stop to it, and if he doesn’t, Archie will take his story to every 24-hour news channel and paper in the tri-state. While Archie and his friends were forced to box for L&L’s illegal fight club, Governor Dooley and Warden Norton were at fundraisers having lobster dinners. And there are five other inmates who will swear that the Governor attended these illegal fights with Warden Norton as his guest. Veronica adds that they’ll testify in court, and so If Dooley wishes to avoid this, she wants the Governor to pardon the prisoners today.

  
Betty and Cheryl convene at Pop’s, where they discuss Cheryl’s willingness or perhaps lack thereof to help Betty. Betty wants Cheryl’s help with infiltrating the Farm. Betty already tried to do it herself, but Evelyn doesn’t trust her. However, Betty did notice that she was trying to recruit Cheryl during the musical. Cheryl questions Betty’s obsession with the Farm. Betty explains that they’re a cult. Plus, it’s not just her friends and family they’ve targeted. Juniper and Dagwood, Cheryl’s niece and nephew, are being raised as toddler Farmies. Although, by Cheryl’s account, they looked perfectly happy and healthy the last time she saw them. Betty reminds Cheryl of Jason, and how he and Polly had plans to run away to the Farm together. Cheryl must want to know why, Betty presumes. And so, Cheryl reluctantly agrees.

Cheryl tricks Evelyn into thinking she’s vulnerable by pretending to cry in the girls restroom. Evelyn over hears Cheryl crying. She opens the bathroom stall and asks what happened. Cheryl claims that she and Toni broke up for good this time, and Evelyn offers to be her friend. Cheryl then reports back to Betty to inform her that the plan worked.

Sweet Pea enters the local comic book shop, MLJ Comics. He approaches the counter and asks for a "game enhancement". The clerk hands him a comic book. Hidden inside the pages are Fizzle Rocks. With proof of corruption, Sweet Pea slams the clerk on the table. Then enters Jughead and Fangs. Jughead remembers the clerk from last time when he came with Archie, better known as the Red Paladin. That day, Jughead explains, he was in a good mood. Today, not so much, as he pulls out a knife and demands to know where the drugs are coming from. The clerk reveals that the Gargoyles are dealing again, but Jughead needs to know where specifically they’re selling from. Apparently the Gargoyles have resorted to selling from street corners. They’ll be able to tell by the Gargoyles on wires. Jughead explains that in some cities when you see a pair of sneakers on telephone wires, it means that there’s a drug den nearby. But in this case, they need to look for Gargoyles instead of shoes. Before leavening, Jughead tells Sweet Pea and Fangs to search the shop and confiscate any contraband or drugs or gaming equipment.

At the Blue and Gold, as Betty hides a tiny microphone within Cheryl’s broach, Cheryl questions just where Betty acquired all her detective equipment, to which Betty replies that she got it from when her mother worked at the Riverdale Register. Betty then sends Cheryl in as she listens from the Blue and Gold. Evelyn starts the interview off by asking Cheryl’s favorite color. Of course which is red, specifically Pantone’s "Flame Scarlet." Evelyn then asks if she ever bites her fingernails or cuticles when stressed. Cheryl does not. Edgar then enters to take over the interview. Edgar asks if she’s ever lost someone. Cheryl admits that she has. Her brother Jason. Although, she doesn’t remember much of what followed his passing. She was in a dark place. Jason was her twin and when she lost him, she lost a piece of herself. She wanted so desperately to reunite with him that she found herself on the frozen bed of Sweetwater River. When Cheryl fell through the ice, she saw him and was changed. It was like her spirit had finally returned to her body. So much so that she burned down her childhood home. Hearing Cheryl’s story, Edgar realizes that Cheryl’s already been baptized and been reborn in fire. But yet the memory of her brother still hurts. While memories are often painful, Edgar doesn’t believe they have to be. He believes they can be a path to revival and that the Farm can help Cheryl see that.

It seems that Archie blackmailing the Governor paid off as he is now sitting in a booth with Mad Dog and Baby Teeth. Now that they’re out, Mad Dog plans on finding his family. However, some of the other guys have no place to go, like Baby Teeth, who has no one. Fortunately, Archie has the gym and is more than willing to allow them to stay in it. He then introduces them to Tom, his trainer. Archie hands Mad Dog a pair of gloves and offers him a rematch.

Jughead stays back at headquarters to mark off each location in Riverdale that the Serpents take over from the Gargoyle. Sweet Pea radios in that they have one last corner to hit, which Jughead wants in on. Jughead, Sweet Pea, and Fangs intercept a drug transaction. Sweet Pea and Fangs hold the Gargoyle against a wall while Jughead talks with the buyer, who he learns in an undercover cop. It turns out that they just ruined FP bust.

FP takes Jughead home, where he scolds him for interfering in a police investigation. The Gargoyle was going to lead him to Kurtz. Gladys comes down after hearing all the shouting. FP reveals to her how Jughead screwed up his lead as he thought he could cure Riverdale’s drug problem by roughing up a few dealers. Jughead claims he had it under control. Gladys agrees with FP, suggesting that maybe the deputy program isn’t a great idea for the Serpents. FP warns Jughead. If he finds out about any other Serpents trying to take the law into their own hands, he’s going to throw them in jail. As FP heads upstairs, Gladys remarks that Jughead will have to sit the next few rounds out.

Archie boxes with Mad Dog at the gym. They are joined by Elio, who is unwelcome in Archie’s gym. Elio heard the gym reopened and thought that he should drop by after learning that all the fighters from L&L’s fight club are with Archie. Elio claims that he’s a boxing manager looking for new talent. So, the moment they’re ready to start making some real money, Elio tells them to come see him at Casa Grande Gym.

Veronica brings her mother and father together to recommend they see a marriage counselor. They both scoff at the idea. There’s nothing for them to discuss by Hiram’s account. Veronica threatens to call the Monsignor to remind them that marriage is ordained by God, and therefore, non-negotiable. Hermione, much like Hiram, is against it. She refuses to beg Hiram for mercy or forgiveness. While they’ve given up, Veronica is still fighting for their family. She reminds her father of his former vendetta against Archie and asks just how many times her father tried to kill him. Hiram claims that it’s all water under the bridge, though Veronica isn’t so willing to write it off as minor pass indiscretions. Her father raised her to believe that family is the most important thing in the world. And she believed him. And it cost her Archie. When he came back and her father was in the hospital, she chose him over Archie because she had thought that they needed to come together and give him strength. And now, Hiram has the gall to break apart their family. While Veronica’s made her point, there’s no changing her father's mind.

Betty and Cheryl reconvene in the girls restroom, where they discuss Cheryl’s interview with Edgar. He’s younger than Cheryl thought he’d be. She also finds him to be very attractive and a good listener. Now that Cheryl’s in with Edgar, Betty needs her to ask him a few questions, like why he decided to move to Riverdale now, and how many members does he plan on recruiting. And most importantly, Betty needs to find out where Edgar stores the tapes from the recorded interviews. If Betty can get her hands on her mom’s and Polly’s, then the Farm won’t have any leverage over Betty’s family.

Archie and Baby Teeth are joined at the diner by Mad Dog, who finally found his grandma and little brother, but they moved into an apartment building that’s falling apart. It’s been taken over by the Gargoyle Gang as well. They’re cooking drugs out of some of the vacant apartments. Archie assures Mad Dog that they’ll get the Gargoyles out.

Hermione enters her office to find two dead fish wrapped in red wrapping paper on her desk. This is clearly a message. Hermione returns home and shares this with Veronica. Someone looking for payback wants Hermione dead. One of their enemies. Maybe the St. Clair’s. Or even maybe Hiram. Veronica takes her mother’s hand, hoping to comfort her.

After driving past the apartments himself, Archie reports back to Jughead to inform him that Mad Dog was right and that the apartments have been taken over by the Gargoyles. Archie saw too many of them to count. Jughead surmises that must be where Kurtz is cooking up his drugs. Jughead would rather not go to his dad and instead handle this himself. He’ll talk to his guys to see if they’re willing to risk their necks against the Gargoyles. Archie tells Jughead that he can count him, Mad Dog, and the others in as well.

Betty listens from the Blue and Gold as Cheryl has another meeting with Edgar. Cheryl asks why he records their sessions. Edgar explains that many of their members like to refer back to them occasionally, to track their growth. Cheryl then asks where they’re stored. Edgar only will say that they’re in a secure location, though he questions Cheryl’s suspicious concern in them. Cheryl claims that she’s just curious. Edgar wants to get back to the interview, but first he wants to show Cheryl something that he thinks she’ll find illuminating. He takes Cheryl to see their files. He then goes on to explain that tomorrow night they’re having a get together for new members and asks Cheryl to join them, to which she agrees. Cheryl and Edgar then seem to enter a room, which appears to cut off Betty’s connection.

Betty approaches Cheryl at her locker the following day. Betty wants to know what was in the room that Edgar took her to. Cheryl tells Betty that it’s none of her business. Furthermore, she’s done being Betty’s mole. It’s disrespectful and illegal. Betty was going to suggest the same as she doesn’t want Edgar to catch onto Cheryl. However, Cheryl still intends to going to the Farm, she’s just done working for Betty.

Veronica heads down to the Five Seasons to confront her father over her suspicions that he may have been responsible for the dead fish in her mother’s office. Hiram claims that he made no threats of any kind towards Hermione’s life. If that’s true, then it was one of Hiram’s associates or enemies. Veronica insists that he protect her mother from any possible threats. Veronica requests that they don’t get a divorce, which Hiram gets a laugh out of. Barring that, Veronica asks that he at least not shun her in public so the whole world doesn't see that’s she’s alone.

As Jughead and Betty lay in bed, Betty tells him that she thinks she can get to the tapes that Edgar has on her mother and Polly. Jughead asks just how dangerous this mission is. Betty informs him of the open house the Farm is having, so it’s not nearly as dangerous as him and Archie raiding a building full of Gargoyles.

Taking into consideration what Veronica had to say, Hiram decides to present a united front, and so he, Hermione and Veronica attend the ribbon-cutting ceremony for his prison together, along with Governor Dooley. Today not only marks the opening of the Lodge Detention Center, it also represents a milestone for the town. The building is a promise for a safer future.

Archie, Jughead, Sweet Pea, Fangs, Mad Dog, Baby Teeth, the former prisoners from L&L, and the Serpents rally in the gym as they prepare to infiltrate the Gargoyle Gang's apartment building. Thanks to Mad Dog’s recon, they have a pretty decent idea of the layout. Sweet Pea and Archie take out the first two guards at the door. Then the group proceed into the building with Baby Teeth waiting outside as lookout. Armed with weapons such as crowbars and baseball bats, they make their way further into the apartments. The Serpents take 2nd floor while Archie and his guys take the 1st floor. Jughead’s off on his own on another floor. He encounters a Gargoyle, who immediately opens fire, forcing Jughead to take cover. As the gunfire goes off, the Gargoyles run out on both floors and immediately multiple fights break out in the halls and chaos ensues. Sweet Pea, Fangs, the Serpents, Mad Dog, Archie, are all forced to fight.

Meanwhile, Jughead continues to hide behind a wall as the Gargoyle continues to fire. Jughead grabs a fire extinguisher, blinding his attacker before knocking him unconscious. Then, another Gargoyle appears, also armed with a gun. Before he can fire, Archie and Mad Dog take him out. About half a dozen Gargoyles appear. Mad Dog agrees to hold them off while Archie and Jughead find the cook. Inside one of the room, they find a ton of guns and all the makings of a drug lab. As Archie heads further into the room, Kurtz, who’s hiding behind a door, draws his gun. Just seconds away from shooting Archie, Jughead intervenes, disarming Kurtz and restraining his hands with zip ties. Archie and Jughead make their way back into the hallway to find Mad Dog still fighting with the Gargoyles, and so Archie decides to help him out, leaving Jughead to get Kurtz out on his own. As Jughead guides Kurtz down the stairway, Kurtz uses his feet to push off the door, sending both him and Jughead flying out a window, to the ground. Kurtz just barely makes it to his feet and manages to limp away with Archie not far behind, while Jughead recovers from the fall.

Veronica returns home just as her father sees Monsignor Montgomery out the door. He had come to deliver the news of her parents' marriage being annulled. It’s much less public than a divorce and so far as their community is concerned, her mother remains under her father's protection. But in the eyes of God and the church, it’s as if the marriage never existed. Hiram knows this is not at all what Veronica wanted. Since she is the one that sent her mother those dead fish, he concludes. It took him a while to figure it out, one of Veronica’s better tactics. Threaten her mother’s life, so that he would have to protect her. Veronica admits this is true. She thought that if she could get him to protect her in public, then he’d have to pretend. And if they pretended long enough, they’d start to actually love each other again. However, Veronica now sees that no matter what she does, her parents’ marriage is over.

Jughead returns home and immediately confronts his mother following the raid at the apartment building. He had no idea that she had armed the Gargoyles. He unintentionally led the Serpents into a buzzsaw. Fortunately, none of them were killed. Gladys tells him that he wouldn’t be dodging stray bullets if he kept his nose out of her business. Backed into a corner, Jughead proposes the nuclear option, that of telling his dad the truth about everything. Gladys tells Jughead to keep his mouth shut as FP and Jellybean aren't a part of this. It’s just between the two of them. Jughead agrees, telling his mother that while she may have caught them by surprise tonight, it won’t happen again.

Betty sneaks in during the Farm’s open house and breaks into the alleged janitors closet, which In actuality is the storage room for all of the recorded interviews. Over the intercom, Edgar welcomes all in attendance, especially their newest initiate, Cheryl, who then gets on the intercom and says "May the one become many, and the many one." All the while listening to this, Betty searches through the files in search of her mother’s and sister’s incriminating interviews. Edgar continues to say that they’ve all come together under great scrutiny and judgement from their friends and neighbors, and possibly ever their own family. But only through great sacrifice will their lives be full. The greater the sacrifice, the greater the bounty, Edgar says. He advises them to plant their seed in the earth and watch it grow. Betty then leaves after recovering her mother’s, sister’s, and Cheryl’s interview recordings.

Archie informs Mad Dog that Baby Teeth has yet to resurface since the raid, forcing some of the guys to go looking for him. Archie asks about Mad Dog’s family. He tells Archie that they’re fine. But they’ll be even better once he gets them out that building. Mad Dog has a new place, unfortunately it comes with the cost of fighting for Elio, who hooked him up with a house on the Northside. Archie insists that Elio can’t be trusted, but Mad Dog has very few options. And while this may not be what Archie wants, Mad Dog will always remember what Archie did for him.

Betty meets with Cheryl at Thistlehouse to give her the tapes of her recorded sessions with Edgar. They now have nothing on Cheryl, so she doesn’t have to go back. However, Cheryl wants to go back. She reveals to Betty that Edgar let her see Jason. He took her to a room, closed the door, and inside she saw Jason. While it sounds crazy, Cheryl insists that she saw and talked to him.

Having learned from Cheryl that she was seeing a dead loved one, Betty arranges a meeting with Lorcan at Pop’s to ask if her mother joined the Farm because they let her talk to Charles. Lorcan admits this is true. She sees him and it’s like she never lost him. Betty would also love him. Lorcan explains that Alice says he’s the most beautiful boy she’s ever seen. Being with him is unlike anything she’s ever imagined. And it’s all because of Edgar. Betty asked her to meet Edgar, and Lorcan agrees to talk to him.

Lorcan arrived at the Farm to have a little talk with the enemy in the Gargoyle chamber. Edgar walked in and sees Lorcan, who looks resemblance to Laura-Belle.

"Well I was wondering when we'd finally meet again." Edgar said to Lorcan.

"Me too, Mr. Evernever." Lorcan said.

"You've been busy after a whole year. You know, Lorcan, I could always let you talk to your sister "if" you join us." Edgar said.

"Why should I join because I have members of the Resistance preparing against you?" Lorcan asked and revealing her plan. Edgar chuckles softly.

"So, please, tell me. What do you want to know?" Edgar asked.

"Everything. Start from the beginning." Lorcan answers.

Archie, Jughead, and the others gather around after finding a chalice with a tooth inside, just outside the gym. Also inside the chalice is a quest card: "Defang the wolf cub." They almost immediately realize that the tooth belongs to Baby Teeth. Elsewhere, while investigating a call, FP moves closer towards the clearing that a hiker called about. FP finds that Baby Teeth is the latest sacrifice. With runic symbols carved into his back, all his teeth pulled from his mouth, and blue fresh-aid around his lips, Baby Teeth’s body lays in front of a totem.


	11. Jawbreaker

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When a tainted batch of fizzle rocks makes its way through Riverdale, Jughead and FP set out to find who’s responsible. After asking Veronica to help get him into an upcoming boxing tournament, Archie quickly learns he may be in over his head. Elsewhere, Betty makes one last attempt to rescue Alice from The Farm's grip with a help from Lorcan, and Toni becomes unsettled by a sudden change in Cheryl's behavior.

FP and Jughead hover over Baby Teeth’s body in the clearing. They’ve identified him as Brandon Morris. At first glance, the scene is very similar to how Jughead found Ben and Dilton, and it is because of that that FP asks for Jughead’s help in solving the case. The blue lips and markings of Baby Teeth’s back are the same, but his missing teeth is unusual, Jughead remarks as he takes photos of the scene. He suspects they could be looking for a copy cat killer. This could be the same guy who went after Ben and Dilton, but they were willing participants. Jughead believes that the killer may be sending a message through the brutality of the killing, that the real Gargoyle King is back.

At the Farm’s compound, Betty continues to question Edgar and his motives.

"You already know who I am, Lorcan." Edgar said to Lorcan.

"No. I don't have a clue. I've done a deep-dive on the Internet, and there's no record of anyone named Edgar Evernever." Lorcan said to Edgar while explaining.

"Just like your sister." Edgar said. "Many years ago, I was a very different man. My life was in tatters, So I left it behind. And I walked in the desert to die, Till I stumbled upon a tree on a hill beside a farm. I was in death's clutches. And somehow I stumbled to the door of that farm, and I knocked. When I woke, I was in a white room. I was being tended to by a kind, elderly farmer. And I said "How can I repay you?" So she put me to work on her farm. I ploughed those fields, and I sowed them with seed, and I watched them grow into something beautiful. I felt reborn. After that, I made it my sacred duty to open my own farm, where I could welcome lost souls wandering in the darkness."

"Nice story, but it doesn't explain how you've convinced my friend's mom that she can see her dead son." Lorcan said to Edgar.

"Here we strive to create a safe place where wounded people can heal and become the best versions of themselves. But, first, they must open themselves to that process." Edgar said to Lorcan.

"No, but really, how does Alice see her dead son? Do you have someone dress up like Charles?" Lorcan asked.

Archie rallies the other fighters at his boxing gym, the El Royale Fight Club. While they’re all still reeling over the death of Baby Teeth, they have to honor their fallen brother. Mad Dog interrupts to add that he’s doing so by dedicating his upcoming match to Baby Teeth. Mad Dog then informs Archie that there’s an upcoming boxing tournament this weekend, the Gilded Gloves.

Betty, Veronica, Archie, and Jughead gather in the student lounge, where they discuss the upcoming boxing tournament. Archie hopes that Veronica can help get his crew into the tournament by talking to Elio. Cheryl, along with Evelyn, Fangs, and Kevin, advocate for the Farm, spreading the word around school. "Where the one become many and the many become one". Toni watches very concerned as Evelyn, Cheryl, Fangs, and Kevin pass through the school hallway. Back in the student lounge, Betty has explained to the others that the reason her mother and Cheryl have joined the Farm is because they are allowed to talk to Charles and Jason. Jughead tells Betty to prove to her mother that Charles is dead since she’s lost touch with reality. The best way to snap her out of her delusions may be a harsh dose of reality.

Betty takes to Jughead’s suggestions and begins making calls from the Blue and Gold office, thought she doesn’t have much luck. Toni enters the Blue and Gold as she holds Betty personally responsible for whatever the Farm has done to Cheryl. Betty explains that Edgar is a con artist who has somehow convinced everyone that they can talk to the dead. Unlike with Charles, there’s proof of Jason’s death. Betty sends Toni the video of Clifford Blossom shooting Jason. Betty’s kept a copy of it on her laptop. She hopes that showing it to Cheryl will snap her back into reality.

In an attempt to fulfill her promise to Archie, Veronica ambushes Elio in the men’s steam room. She wants in on the boxing tournament. She recalls how Archie almost beat Ronson. However, as far as Elio is concerned, Archie is a poor fighter who has no place in his tournament. Veronica leaves, but not before telling him to remember this moment where she tried to keep things civil.

FP and Jughead head down to the coroner’s lab, where Dr. Curdle Jr. informs them that Baby Teeth died from loss of blood, from the pulling of his teeth, which occurred pre-mortem. During the autopsy, Curdle also discovered a matchbook from the Maple Club lodged down Baby Teeth’s throat.

FP and Jughead stop by the Maple Club to questions Penelope regarding the matchbook found in Baby Teeth’s throat. Penelope claims they’re complimentary. She also recalls Baby Teeth stopping by a few nights ago with some friends. Baby Teeth supposedly left the Maple Club alive. Penelope’s girl Rosemary fulfilled his fantasy. A loud commotion is heard from the back room. FP, Jughead, and Penelope decide to investigate. They find a deranged man growling and foaming at the mouth. He lunges at FP with a glass shard, though FP manages to knock him out and apprehend him. After locking him up in the cruiser, Jughead and FP ask if there’s anything that Penelope and Rosemary can tell them about the man. They claim his name is Martin, but everyone uses aliases, and he likes to take Fizzle Rocks to enhance the experience, but this time was different. He started freaking out.

Given Elio’s refusal to allow Archie in his tournament, Veronica turns to Alice for help. She, along with a news crew head down to Archie’s gym, where she reports on Veronica’s latest business venture as the promoter of the boxing club. Veronica proceeds to promote the facility, including its fighters and staff. Archie then begins reading his lines from cue cards. He offers three free personal training sessions. Lastly, he issues a challenge to Randy Ronson at the Gilded Gloves.

Lorcan and Betty visits her father at prison, who informs her that her mother has filed for divorce from him. However, Hal hasn’t signed yet, wondering if Alice is seeing someone. Betty suspects it may be Edgar, who her mother spends most of her time at the Farm with. Betty then informs her father how Edgar has tricked her mother into thinking that she’s seeing Charles, which Hal remarks is impossible because Charles is dead, but Betty doesn’t have any physical proof of that. Hal tells Betty that she doesn’t need a body or ashes. Just a grave.

Veronica arranges a meeting with Elio at La Bonne Nuit, who’s impressed with Veronica’s efforts and Archie’s challenge to Randy. With this, Elio agrees to allow the El Royale boxers to participate in the Gilded Gloves. However, Archie’s going to have to move up a weight class as Randy’s now fighting in the middle weight division. They flip for the venue. Heads for Archie’s gym and tails for Elio’s gym. The coin lands on heads.

FP and Jughead return to the station with Martin and lock him in a cell. They’ll ask him where he got the Fizzle Rocks when he comes down, though Jughead’s pretty certain that Kurtz is behind this. He also wants to ask Martin about Baby Teeth. In the meantime, FP wants to have forensics run a test on the Fizzle Rocks they confiscated.

Toni sits Cheryl down at Thistlehouse and shows her the surveillance footage of her father shooting her brother. Toni explains that she’s only showing this to Cheryl because she needed to be reminded of the truth, that Jason’s dead. However, Cheryl claims that the video is fake. Toni then asks if Cheryl ever hugged Jason while at the Farm, which Cheryl hesitantly claims she has.

Lorcan and Betty visits her mother at the Farm to ask if she’s engaged to Edgar, to which Alice replies that she and Edgar have a deep understanding of each other. Betty then extends her hand, telling her mother that she wants to show her something. Betty takes Alice to what is supposedly Charles’ grave. Betty paid someone to help her track it down, meaning Alice hasn’t been talking to him at he Farm. Charles has been dead and buried for the last five years. Lorcan, Betty and Alice return to the car, where Alice is still unconvinced that Charles is dead. She claims to have spoken to Charles just that morning. With no other option, Betty chloroforms her mother.

At Pop's Chock'lit Shoppe, Veronica serves Archie a large platter of burgers and fries to help get his weight up for the fight. It’s now time for the fighters to weigh in. Veronica, Tom, Mad Dog, and Elio also attend. Randy Ronson weighs in at 159 lbs while Archie weighs in at 154 lbs.

Alice wakes up in Dilton’s bunker, handcuffed to the bed. Seeing as taking her mother to Charles alleged headstone didn’t work, Betty attempts to remind her of their fond moments from the past, such as her first day at the Register. Alice counters that now she’s a reporter thanks to the Farm. Betty then shows her mother a photo taken during her 8th grade graduation. Alice states that is the past. She’s someone else now. This saddens Betty as she continues her effort to pull her mother back to reality. She reminds her of their old house and how she painted the front door red. Alice retorts that she lived with a murderer in that house. Betty replies that she also raised her and Polly in that house. Alice has endured so much pain she just wants to forget the past, but Betty won’t allow it. Alice then asks Betty to tell her the truth about Charles’ grave, which Betty admits that it wasn’t. Both Betty and Alice start to cry, hoping of nothing else to reason with the other, but to no avail. So, before leaving for school, Betty hands her mother several photo albums and tells her to remember who she is.

Betty, Jughead, Archie, and Veronica reconvene in the student lounge, where Betty informs them that she locked her mother in the bunker. Betty reasons that it’s the only place her mother will be safe from the Farm. Betty is determined to follow through with her attempt at deprogramming her mother. The four of them follow a loud, banging sound into the hallway, where they find a Vixen slamming her head repeatedly into the lockers. Foaming at the mouth from G, aka Fizzle Rocks, and blood running down her head, a couple other Vixens restrain her and take her to the infirmary. Jughead then gets a call from his father, who has just picked up another tweaker from Pop’s and asks that Jughead meet him at the station. Coincidentally, both Jughead and FP have recovered a pack of Fizzle Rocks with a large G labeled on the front of the packet.

Jughead concludes that there must’ve been a bad batched released, one that caused Fizzle Rocks psychosis. FP has placed the tweaker from Pop’s in the cell next to Martin, who seems to finally be coming down from his high.l

Toni is approached in the girls restroom by Evelyn, who claims that Toni to detracting Cheryl from her studies at the Farm, which Evelyn refuses to allow to happen. Toni states that she loves Cheryl and Cheryl loves her. Evelyn says that the Farm is fulfilling Cheryl in ways that Toni couldn’t imagine, which Toni finds hard to believe.

Mad Dog gives Archie a heads up that Randy is juicing, but not with steroids. Some kind of new powder that he saw Elio give to Ronson. It made him crazy strong. Mad Dog looked into Randy’s eyes and all he saw was rage. Mad Dog fears that Randy may kill Archie in the ring, which is why he has brought Archie drugs to level the playing field. However, Archie is opposed to taking drugs. Mad Dog leaves the drugs with Archie just in case he changes his mind.

Jellybean plays Gryphons and Gargoyles with Ricky at Pop’s. Jellybean has just lost the game and apparently she’s a new player. She asks if they can play another round. Ricky wonders if her parents will be worried about her being out for so long. However, as Jellybean explains, her parents are often too busy to notice her.

FP and Jughead being their interrogation of Martin. He informs them that the G stands for Gargoyle. Which Gargoyle, Jughead asks. Martin tells them that this time it was Kurtz. Kurtz is both a cook and a dealer, but he’s not the kingpin. And so, FP wants to pay Hiram Lodge a visit, suspecting that he could be back up to his drug pushing ways.

Betty returns to the bunker to find her mother burning the family photos albums. The following day, Evelyn asks Betty and Lorcan if they've seen Alice, though Lorcan claims to have no knowledge of her whereabouts. Considering that Alice missed bed check and the fact that Betty was seen entering Alice’s room, Evelyn suspects that Lorcan has something to do with her disappearance. Still, Betty maintains her innocence. As she walks off, Evelyn reminds her that they have copies of Alice’s and Polly’s tapes. Lorcan slams Evelyn against the locker. While the Farm may have brainwashed her mother, Betty sees right through them. They warns Evelyn to stop messing with their family and friends. Should Evelyn persist, They threatens to kill her.

Toni asks if Cheryl is headed for a meeting at the Farm, which she is. However, Toni asks that she stay home because she needs Cheryl in every way. Mind, soul, and body. But mostly body, Toni remarks as the two proceed to kiss.

Archie, Fangs, and the rest of the El Royale fighters go on a run through the woods. They stop at Baby Teeth's grave to remember him, as tomorrow they’ll be fighting for him.

The guy that FP arrested at Pop’s has come down from his high and is ready to answer questions. He got the G from Kurtz, though that isn’t his usual dealer. Apparently, Kurtz was aggressive in trying to get the man to buy more than his usual, which sounds like desperation. FP then gets a call from Laura, better known as Rosemary from the Maple Club.

Betty sits in the Blue and Gold listening to her mother’s tape, where Alice states that Betty is often angry and how she’s afraid of Betty. On the tape, Alice goes on to say that she thinks Betty wants to hurt her. She has the same darkness in her that Alice saw in Hal. Hearing this enrages Betty.

FP and Jughead arrive at the Maple Club, where Rosemary and Penelope inform them that some rowdy, rich kids showed up, stirring up trouble. None of them appeared to be on G. They seemed to be there just to kill time as they were supposed to meet someone in the lobby. But the guy never showed. One of the troublemakers got a call, which sounded like a supplier who wanted to reschedule. He said something about a fight and Rosemary found a flyer to the Gilded Gloves fight tournament.

Betty barges into Edgar’s office demanding to know what he did to her mom and how he got her to say such horrible things about Betty on those tapes. Edgar claims that everything Alice said on those tapes were her own words. Betty refuses to allow Edgar to turn this on her, not while Edgar continues to feed her mother lies about Charles. Edgar sees Charles as a wound that needs to be healed. Alice is on a journey and she is making tremendous progress in finding her truest self, but Betty argues that her mother could’ve done that from home, without giving up Betty’s money or her childhood home and everything else. Edgar believes that Alice needs the Farm in order to heal from the pain inflicted upon her. Whether Charles is real or not, he fulfills her in a way that no one else can. So, Edgar asks why in Betty’s mind is that a bad thing. Betty does not answer, simply exiting Edgar’s office.

Betty returns to the bunker, where she places a blindfold over her mother’s head and takes her to Pop’s, where Evelyn awaits their arrival. Evelyn welcomes Alice with open arms and the two share a hug. Before leaving, Betty pleads with Evelyn to take care of her mother. Evelyn replies that that’s all she’s ever wanted to do.

Veronica surprises Archie with a new set of boxing attire. He thanks her for believing in him. No matter what happens, Veronica will always be in his corner. Once she leaves, Fred enters the room, calling into question Archie’s relationship with Veronica, though Archie tells his father that they’re just friends, not that Fred’s convinced.

Cheryl approaches Toni in the girls locker room after being told by Evelyn that she has to make a choice between Jason and Toni. Toni attempts to explain to Cheryl that Jason’s only a ghost, though Cheryl isn’t convinced. And while she admittedly loves Toni, she’s loved Jason her entire life. Toni refuses to allow their relationship to end, asking if there’s anyway Cheryl can be with both her and Jason. Cheryl replies that there’s only one way, and that’s if Toni joins the Farm, which she does, joining Cheryl, Evelyn, Fangs, and Kevin in Riverdale High’s own chapter of the Farm as they walk down the school halls dressed in all white.

Toni enters the Blue and Gold as Betty listens to her mother’s tapes. As it turns out, Toni is in cahoots with Betty to infiltrate the Farm. Betty asks Toni if she’s a monster. Toni says that she’s just a daughter who wants her mother back, just like Toni wants Cheryl back.

FP and Jughead spot Kurtz entering an ally as they stakeout the fight. They catch him in the middle of a drug transaction. FP draws his firm arm and demands that Kurtz put his hands up. As FP cuffs him, Jughead tells Kurtz that both he and his drugs are done for good.

Tom escorts Archie out to the ring for his fight. Fred, Josie, and Veronica watch from the crowd. Josie asks if Veronica’s nervous, but she isn’t in the slightest. Josie then notices Archie’s new robe and trunks. Veronica explains that Archie’s officially sponsored by Pop’s. Randy tells Elio that he’s going to end Archie tonight, but if Elio recalls, Randy said the same thing last time and Archie almost beat him. Elio then gives Ronson some G diluted with water in his bottle as a boost.

Betty visits her father once more. As Hal signs the divorce papers, he asks what caused Betty’s sudden change in heart. She finally realized that it’s time to let her mother go. She needs to heal in whatever way she chooses. Hal then asks if Betty would consider doing him a favor. He wants to come home.

With the added boost of G to his water, Archie doesn’t fair well against Ronson, who pummels him. The few hits that Archie does manage to land have little effect. Fred, Josie, and Veronica watch from the crowd in fear of Archie’s condition as he takes blow after blow. As the round comes to an end, Archie returns to his corner, where Tom reminds him to stay off the ropes. Archie informs Tom that Ronson is on drugs and that the ref should call the fight. Unfortunately, when Tom attempts to get Ronson disqualified, Elio interjects that the match only ends if Archie forfeits, but Archie refuses to take the lost. With that being said, Tom tells Archie that his only choice is to knock Ronson out in this round. Archie and Ronson go right back to it as they sound the bell to signal the start of the round. Again, Archie finds himself taking hit after hit from Ronson, though he waits for his moment, biding time to find an opening, and when he does, Archie drops Ronson. However, Ronson never gets back up from the punch and a doctor is called to the ring.

FP and Jughead interrogate Kurtz at the sheriff station. FP wonders if Kurtz plan was to sale the bad batch of G, get out of town, and dodge a murder charge. Jughead then asks why Baby Teeth was killed. Kurtz explains that Baby Teeth was only the warm-up to the ultimate quest for the Jones. The Gargoyle King demanded that they save the little princess. Jughead and FP instantly realize that he’s talking about Jellybean and demands to know what Kurtz did. He simply replies that she’s been summoned by the King.

Meanwhile, Ricky leads Jellybean through the woods while on a quest. When she questions why they couldn’t continue the game at Pop’s, he tells her it’s because "he" wanted to meet her. He being the Gargoyle King, who appears before Jellybean and Ricky.


	12. Fear The Reaper

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When Jellybean goes missing, Jughead, Gladys and FP follow a series of cryptic clues to get her home. Elsewhere, Archie faces the fallout from his latest boxing match, while Betty makes a major discovery about Evelyn's past. Finally, Josie makes a big decision about her future

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is the final appearance of Josie McCoy.

FP and Jughead return home in search of Jellybean, and though they do not find her, they do find an invitation to play a round of Gryphons and Gargoyles, the outcome of which will determine Jellybean’s fate. When Gladys arrives, they inform her that Jellybean was taken by Kurtz and the Gargoyle King.

Following the fight, Randy Ronson is taken to Riverdale General Hospital, where Mad Dog, Fred, Tom, Josie, Archie, and Veronica sit in the lobby, waiting to hear news of his fate. Just a few feet away sits Elio with Randy’s family. Unfortunately, Dr. Patel arrives to deliver the news that Randy did not survive. As he proceeds to take Ms. Ronson to claim the body, Archie and Mad Dog inform Dr. Patel that Randy was on drugs and that Elio was his supplier, though Elio claims to have had no knowledge of any substance abuse, which Archie, Veronica, and Mad Dog know to be untrue. Mad Dog states that Randy’s blood is all over Elio’s hands, though Elio retorts that it literally all over Archie's.

FP, Gladys, and Jughead tie Kurtz to a chair and beat him mercilessly in hopes of gaining the truth behind Jellybean’s whereabouts. Kurtz simply replies that she’s being very well taken care of by an associate of his and that they should accept the invite to play. FP, Gladys, and Jughead regroup in the kitchen. Jughead explains that he's played the game enough to know that players like Kurtz are completely devoted to the Gargoyle King and its rules. Their only chance is to play and win, to hopefully get Jellybean back. And so, the Joneses agree to play the game. They start with their avatars. FP is Deadeye, like in high school, Jughead remains the Hellcaster, and Gladys is the Alchemist. FP rolls first.

At the Andrews house, Fred reassures Archie that Randy’s death is not his fault, though Archie begs to differ. He knew that Randy was juicing, and he could’ve stopped the fight, but he didn’t want to forfeit. And because of that, Archie has no intentions on boxing ever again.

Betty and Veronica meet with Hiram at La Bonne Nuit, where Betty asks Hiram for a favor. Her father is incarcerated two hours away in a windowless cell. He heard about Hiram’s facility and how some of the cells have a view of Sweetwater River. Betty explains that her father would like to be transferred there. Veronica assures her father of all the publicity that would come with it, and with that in mind, Hiram says that he’ll see what he can do.

Mad Dog calls Archie to ask about the drugs he gave him because the police just raided Elio’s gym with a warrant, and they’re likely to do the same with El Royale. After Archie says they're in his locker, he and Mad Dog meet up at the gym to recover the drugs and dispose of them. However, before they can get the chance to do so, the police raid the gym, catching Archie and Mad Dog with the drugs in hand. And so, the two of them are arrested on site.

The Joneses have reached their first challenge. It’s called "Cards on the Table". Inside two of three pouches are white marbles. Inside one pouch is a black marble. If they choose the black one, they must reveal their secret. FP remarks that they’ve been playing "Secret and Sins" since high school. Gladys is up first. Her pouch contains the black marble, meaning she must reveal her secret. Kurtz insists that Gladys tells the truth. She initially claims to have no secrets, but after Jughead reminds her that Jellybean’s life is on the line and threatens to reveal the secret himself, Gladys comes forward. She reveals for the first time to FP that she’s the new Fizzle Rocks dealer in Riverdale and that Kurtz used to work for her. FP is frustrated, even more so that Jughead knew and didn’t share this with him. However, Gladys told Jughead not to say anything because she wanted to protect them and keep them out of it. FP explodes with rage as she brought this chaos into their lives. While finishing the game and bringing Jellybean home is top priority, FP assures Gladys that there will be a reckoning.

Josie calls her dad after seeing that he has a gig nearby and is hoping that they can grab some dinner beforehand.

In the Blue and Gold offices, Toni tells Betty that everyone is gearing up for the wedding between Edgar and Betty’s mom. After the big wedding, Edgar’s also planning to adopt Juniper and Dagwood.

Veronica bails Archie and Mad Dog of jail. Mad Dog insists that they’ll pay her back, though that’s the least of their worries as Elio has flipped Randy’s death on Archie. Archie, Mad Dog, and Veronica head down to Pop’s, where they watch the news report of Elio claiming that Archie provided Randy with the drugs that killed him. It’ll be a nearly impossible task to prove that it was, in fact, Elio who gave Ronson the drugs and that he’s setting Archie up. However, Veronica has a plan, which starts with a drug test for both Archie and Mad Dog. Afterward, Veronica holds a press conference outside of Pop’s to announce that Archie and Mad Dog’s drug tests have come back negative. Randy’s sisters, Ms. Ronson, led by Elio, interrupts the press conference and accuses Archie of murdering Randy. Archie swears that he didn’t kill Randy, but if he could take back what happened, he would. However, the Ronsons are still distraught over Randy’s death, and his sister slaps Archie. Again, Archie apologizes, saying that he wishes it could’ve been him instead of Randy.

While in line for her meningitis vaccination, Betty overhears Ms. Bell asking Evelyn if she’s had hers. However, Evelyn explains that the Farm doesn’t believe in putting foreign substances into their bodies. She tells Ms. Bell to check her file as her father has written Principal Weatherbee a letter, opting her out of all elective medical procedures. Later that night, Betty sneaks back into school, breaks into Weatherbee’s office, and takes photos of Evelyn’s files.

Gladys, Jughead, and FP have reached their next quest. Kurtz orders them to rob Pop’s. He tells them to consider it as Jellybean’s ransom. The money they obtain will get him out of town. However, FP isn’t so willing to oblige, stating that this ends with Kurtz buried six feet under. Although should that happen, Kurtz has arranged Jellybean’s demise.

Archie races over to the Pembrooke to talk to Veronica as he can’t stop thinking about Randy and his sister, who called him a murderer. Veronica tells Archie that Randy’s death is Elio’s fault, though Archie still feels responsible and wants to help them somehow. Veronica recommends a benefit concert at La Bonne Nuit. After all, Josie has been calling her about doing a set. Veronica will arrange it all.

While impersonating Ms. Bell, Betty calls Evelyn’s old schools, claiming that she’s just checking their records and asks what grade Evelyn was in while in attendance. Betty learns that Evelyn’s was enrolled in as Junior at her last five schools. Afterward, Betty contacts Ms. Weiss to inform her of her discovery. Betty discovered that Evelyn has been repeating her Junior year, enrolling in high schools, pretending to be 17 for over a decade. From what Betty has gathered, Edgar works on the parents while Evelyn is sent to recruit teens for the Farm. It’s a cover for their cult. Ms. Weiss is more than willing to help. She will make some inquiries to see what she can find out.

Gladys, Jughead, and FP sit in a truck just outside Pop’s, as they plan the robbery. Gladys intends to be in and out within 30 seconds and she’ll do all the talking. She remarks that it reminds her of the old days, which FP has no desire to relive.

RD-Caps-3x19-Fear-The-Reaper-49-Gladys-FP  
The Jones rob Pop's at gunpoint

As planned, Josie grabs dinner with her father at Pop’s. Myles was more than willing as his next tour will be a long one. This is precisely why Josie wanted to meet up. She explains how recently she’s been the headlining act downstairs at La Bonne Nuit, but Riverdale is a small town, and she wants to go on tour with him to broaden her musical horizons. Myles explains that it’s a hard life being on the road. Josie begs, asking that he at least come see her perform. Before he can answer, Gladys, Jughead, and FP barge into Pop’s disguised with their identity shielded behind Serpent masks, with guns pointed. They empty the register and head for the door. As they do, Pop Tate comes from behind the counter with a shotgun and opens fire, hitting FP. As he prepares to shoot again, Jughead rips off his mask and tells Pop Tate to stop shooting as it’s not what he thinks. Jughead attempts to tend to his father, who lays on the floor bleeding but is pulled away by his mother, as it is now up to the two of them to continue the game. Myles and Josie watch from the floor as this unfolds. Josie lends to this incident as yet another reason why she needs to get out of town.

RD-Caps-3x19-Fear-The-Reaper-55-Jughead-Gladys  
Jughead and Gladys plan to relocate

Jughead and Gladys return home, where Jughead knocks Kurtz unconscious with a single punch. Considering that the cops are probably on their way, Jughead and Gladys will have to relocate Kurtz and the game.

Betty informs her father that his transfer papers have been processed and that he’ll be moved by the end of the week. Betty then reveals Edgar’s plans to adopt the twins after he marries Alice, which Hal refuses to allow to happen. So, he sends Betty to Penelope for help, stating that she will be uniquely motivated.

Betty heads down to the Five Seasons, where she informs Penelope of the marriage and Edgar’s plans to adopt the twins, Penelope’s grandchildren. Polly, Alice, and Cheryl made their decisions, but the twins are helpless. Betty reminds Penelope that she knows what it is like to be adopted into a family that only wants to control you. Having taken this all in, Penelope agrees to help. Together, she and Betty infiltrate the Farm’s compound, where Penelope negotiated the freedom of Dagwood. She gets the boy, but the Farm will keep Juniper. Those were the only terms they would agree to despite Penelope’s threats to come after the Farm. Betty explains that they’re twins and that they shouldn’t be separated. Furthermore, Edgar isn’t their father. But, as Penelope points out, Polly is their mother, meaning it’s her decision. Penelope remarks that it was a miracle that they were even able to get one child, referring to Dagwood as Jason Jr.

Archie is approached by Elio at the gym. He has come to award Archie his $50,000 reward for winning the Gilded Gloves tournament. Archie doesn’t want Elio’s blood money though. Elio insists that Archie take the money. He went 12 rounds in his first fight, meaning he’s a winner. Elio wants to make Archie famous. Tag him the "Riverdale Reaper". A lot of people would pay to see him in the ring, though Archie isn’t interested, demanding that Eio leave.

Jughead and Gladys have relocated with Kurtz to the bunker. He can’t believe they just robbed Pop’s at gunpoint. How can they stay in Riverdale after that, he wonders. We don’t, Gladys replies. She thinks they should drive up north and keep going until they find a town where nobody knows them. Jughead realizes that his mother simply doesn’t get that she’s the problem. Riverdale is their home. They're happy there, but Gladys destroyed that.

Archie, Josie, and Veronica convene at La Bonne Nuit, where Veronica informs Archie that on top of everything else, Elio is also refusing the Ronsons Randy’s insurance money. Veronica is hoping they can make Josie’s show tonight a benefit, with the proceeds going to the Ronsons. Archie then gives Josie a kiss and heads off to settle things with Elio.

Jughead dumps a bucket of water on Kurtz to wake him up and asks for the next challenge, which is a Trial with the Cyclops. While this character class is unfamiliar to Jughead, Gladys suspects that she knows what Kurtz is referring to.

Just before the show, Josie looks into the crowd, though there’s no sign of her dad, and Veronica checked the front door, and he never picked up his ticket.

Archie ambushes Elio outside his gym. While Archie has no interest in fighting for Elio, he does want the prize money that he’s owed. Elio made a promise to the Ronsons. That money is there’s and Archie’s come to ensure they receive it. When Elio refuses, Archie slams him up against his car and takes the check.

Kurtz takes Jughead and Gladys to meet up with the Cyclops for a battle. As it turns out, Penny Peabody is the aforementioned Cyclops. She has an eye-patch covering her left eye. Jughead thought she was dead, but instead of killing Penny, Gladys simply cut out her eye. Penny and Gladys must fight. Their weapons, as chosen by the Gargoyle King, sais. The two begin to battle as Jughead and Kurtz watch from the couch. During the battle, Penny breaks Gladys’ arm. Jughead rises to help, but Kurtz sits him back down and informs him that the fight is between Gladys and Penny. Should Jughead try to intervene, Jellybean will pay the price. Even with an injured arm, Gladys manages to best Penny, though Jughead stops his mother from killing her. While Gladys leaves Penny alive, she does, however, stab her in the leg.

At La Bonne Nuit, Josie performs. As her performance concludes, the crowd erupts in applause. The loudest applause of them all coming from Myles, her father, who little did Josie know, was there for her entire performance.

After following Betty’s paper trailer, Ms. Weiss shows up at the Pembrooke to discuss with Betty what she’s discovered. Evelyn is much older than she appears. 26 to be exact. Ms. Weiss also discovered that Evelyn is Edgar’s wife, not his daughter. Betty then calls Toni to tell her that she has to get back into the Farm immediately.

After dropping his mother off at Riverdale General for a broken arm and ruptured kidney, Jughead demands to be taken to Jellybean. Kurtz agrees, but he’ll drive and Jughead has to wear a blindfold.

Myles complements Josie on her performance. Josie says that she thought he bailed on her again. Myles explains that was his intention. When you’re on the road, gig after gig, you have to get on stage and give it your all no matter what. Josie has to want to play music more than anything else. With that, Myles agrees to allow Josie to tour with him.

Archie goes to see Randy’s sister, Ms. Ronson, who explains that Randy had his demons. He had a history with drugs as they were on their own at a young age. She did her best to raise him and their sisters right, but at some point, he made his own choices. Archie then hands Ms. Ronson the prize money from the Gilded Gloves and some donation money Veronica put together. Overwhelmed by Archie’s generosity, Ms. Ronson starts to cry and she thanks Archie.

With Toni’s help, Betty sneaks into the Farm’s compound to kidnap Juniper. Betty grabs the baby and together, she and Toni make a run for it. However, Betty is led straight into a trap by Toni, who has succumbed to the Farm’s allure. Edgar, Alice, Polly, Cheryl, Evelyn, Kevin, Weatherbee and the other Farmies surround Betty. When Betty asks why Toni betrayed her, she explains that she’s been in search for a family her entire life, first with the Serpents, then the Pretty Poisons, but she’s never felt such belonging, as she does at the Farm. Betty reveals to her mother that Edgar is already married to Evelyn, but Alice is well aware. There are no secrets at the Farm. They’ve all come together to get Betty to join them. Edgar explains that everyone Betty cares about is in the room, her mother, sister, best friend, cousin and sister. In unison, the Farmies recite "Join us." If only for a second, it seems that Betty begins to consider the offer, but she declines it nonetheless and takes off running, with Toni, Cheryl, Kevin, Evelyn, and the other Farmies just behind her. Betty just barely makes it to her car and pulls off.

Kurtz has taken Jughead to the junkyard. Before Jughead sits two refrigerators. Behind one of the doors is Jellybean. Behind the other is Jughead’s doom. The final challenge is simple. Jughead has to choose one. He opens the refrigerator marked with a Gryphon first, but it’s empty, as is the second refrigerator marked with a Gargoyle. Jughead then realizes it was a trap, as Kurtz holds him at gunpoint and tells him to get inside the refrigerator. Jughead agrees to get in, but only if Kurtz assures him Jellybean’s safety. So, Kurtz calls Ricky and tells him to put Jellybean on. She answers the phone and tells Jughead that she just got home and that she’s been playing G&G even though Jughead told her not to. He tells her it’s okay and that he’ll see her soon. Once Jughead gets into the refrigerator, Kurtz tells Ricky to kill Jellybean and he then locks Jughead in. After slamming his body against the door repeatedly, Jughead manages to break the lock and free himself. When he exits, he finds Kurtz dead on the ground and the Gargoyle King standing right behind him.

Jughead returns home to find Jellybean unharmed. As they share a hug, Jughead asks about Ricky, who Jellybean claims left after they spoke on the phone.

Archie finds Josie after her show singing in the music room. He apologizes for not making it back in time to see it. Josie then reveals that she decided to go on tour with her dad, but she doesn’t know when she’s coming back, if at all. While she’s loved their time together, they’re not endgame, which she’s fine with. Archie’s life is in Riverdale while hers is somewhere out there, maybe New York. Archie tells her that he was going to ask her to prom, but that’s no longer an option now, and the two say goodbye with a kiss.

At Riverdale General the following morning, Jughead tells Gladys that FP will be out of jail in a couple days thanks to Attorney McCoy, who cleared everything with the judge. She said that FP was under duress when he committed the robbery. Jughead wonders how his mother plans to answer for all she’s done, to which Gladys explains her plan to leave town with Jellybean, though Jughead argues that Jellybean should stay in Riverdale as she deserves better than to live on the road. He also wants his mother to stay as well, and face the consequences behind her actions. Gladys wishes she could, but it would probably be best for everyone if she disappears for a while, at least until FP cools down. And then maybe they can try again.

Elio and Hiram meet up in the steam room, where Elio informs Hiram of all that has occurred, including Randy’s death, Mad Dog leaving his gym, and the integrity of Casa Grande being called into question. Hiram explains that the gym is of no concern as it still has his financial support. As for Archie, who Elio surmises is a great threat, Hiram will handle him. He claims that there are two Archie Andrews. There’s the one who saved Hiram’s life at the hospital after he’d been shot and then there’s the other Archie, who pointed a gun at Hiram’s head. He was there to kill Hiram, the real Archie Andrews. The one with murder in his heart. As for Archie’s boxing career, Hiram isn’t so convinced that it’s over considering that Veronica’s in Archie’s corner.

Mad Dog calls Archie into the ring as he needs a sparing partner. Veronica advises him to get back in the ring or he never will. Archie believes that may be for the best as he doesn’t want to be known as the Riverdale Reaper. Veronica says to Archie that he made amends with the Ronsons the best way he could, and now it’s time to look into the future. Archie’s not Riverdale’s Reaper. If anything, he’s its red hope. Veronica pleads with him to pick back up his gloves, and so he does just that, joining Mad Dog in the ring.

Gladys says goodbye as she prepares to leave Riverdale, doing just as Jughead said and leaving Jellybean with them. When Jellybean asks to join her, Gladys tells her that she’s better off in Riverdale, just before hugging Jellybean. She then says goodbye to FP, telling him to not only take care of the kids but to take care of himself as well. Lastly, Gladys says a tearful goodbye to Jughead, giving him a hug and then walking out the door.

When Betty returns to the Pembrooke, Veronica informs her that her dad and a few other inmates who were being transferred to the new prison were involved in some kind of accident that left no survivors.

Lorcan's finished working on her cartoon in art class and is cleaning up. Josie walked in to see her finishing up. She's about to say goodbye to her best friend because she's leaving Riverdale to go on tour with her father.

"Whatcha doing?" Josie asked her best friend.

"Oh, i'm finishing washing up the paintbrushes, J." Lorcan answers while cleaning up. "So, what's up?"

"Nothing much." Josie said. "I have something to say to you."

"Is it because you're leaving Riverdale to go on tour with your dad?" Lorcan asked while guessing.

"You knew?" Josie asked.

"My dad and your mom were friends." Lorcan answers while smiling. "It's okay, i'm not mad. You're my best friend."

"I'll video chat with you while i'm away. And also, I'm sorry for last year." Josie said to Lorcan as she apologize for what happened.

"It's okay. You've been my best friend for the entire year." Lorcan said while smiling. "When you come back, let's have some brunch."

"Sure." Josie said as she accept the invite about having some brunch when she returns. "I'm gonna miss you."

"Me too." Lorcan said as she hugged her. "Follow your dream."

"You too." Josie said as they hugged.

Josie walked out of the school and wave goodbye to Lorcan. They both smile at each other, remembering the time when they first met. She's been very nice to her and care about her. She tried to get her and Amaya to be friends again and apologizes for teaching her a lesson.

Lorcan feels better now after a long time. She finally smile after a long time and no longer feels her depression. She walked out of art class. The artwork shows of her and Josie together as best friends. She walked down the hallway, smiling. 

_"Goodbye, Josie McCoy."_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter also reveals that Josie and Lorcan are best friend.


	13. Prom Night

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Betty takes matters into her own hands after learning some unsettling news about her father. Mary grows concerned by Archie's desire to take boxing to the next level. Elsewhere, Cheryl runs into a roadblock during her campaign for prom queen, while Jughead and Betty's plan to confront the Gargoyle King takes an unexpected turn and finally, Lorcan got some really good news from her little brother Max.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's this chapter that Lorcan and Archie finally meet as good friends.

Betty and Veronica arrive on the scene of the prison bus crash to find charred remains lined along the road by deputies. FP is already on site, and he tells the girls to stay back. Betty informs him of the Black Hood’s return as her father was on the bus, and likely caused the crash to escape. However, FP tells her no one survived the crash. There were five inmates and one driver on the bus. Six in total, which is the number of heads they’ve found. DNA tests will confirm their identities. Betty grows concerned that her father escaped, and is now loose in Riverdale.

Mary returns to Riverdale, arriving at the Andrews house, where she is greeted at the front door by Archie, and from there the two plan to have dinner and briefly discuss Archie’s passion in boxing. Mary claims that she hasn’t come back to talk him out of boxing, but that she simply wanted to see him again while Fred was away.

Betty rushes down to the Farm's compound to warn her mother of her father’s escape. However, Alice is very much aware as FP has already called, and told her there were no survivors from the bus crash. However, as Betty points out, Dr. Curdle Jr. has yet to identify the bodies. This is precisely what Alice means when she says Betty should let go of her past. She has to stop indulging in her delusions that her father is still alive. Betty then notices the tattoo on her mother’s wrist. Alice explains that Edgar asked her to get it. Alice likes to think of it as an engagement ring.

At the Jones house, Jellybean is still upset about having been left behind by her mother. Jughead explains to Jellybean that she wasn’t abandoned and their mother leaving town was probably the most selfless thing she had ever done. Still, Jellybean has never lived anywhere without her. Jughead expresses his joy in her staying, but while she’s there, Jughead insists that she doesn’t play G & G again. Jellybean, however, doesn’t see the big deal. As far as she’s concerned, it’s just pretend quests in costumes, to which Jughead inquires further about the costumes and who was wearing them. Jellybean tells him about Ricky’s ears and her crown. Not to mention the Gargoyle King, who Jellybean met in person. He gave her a quest. He said that she couldn’t enter the Kingdom until she found the gospel, though Jellybean and Ricky never found it. The Gospel is where the Gargoyle King keeps all his secrets.

While sparring in the ring, Archie and Mad Dog are approached by Veronica, who comes bearing good news. She has Archie’s fight application for the regional tournament. All Archie has to do is get one of his parents to sign off on it. This is the perfect opportunity to jump-start Archie’s boxing career. Mad Dog tells Veronica to keep him in mind should she ever decide that she wants another boxer under her roster. Fangs comes running from the back soaking wet. He tells them about a busted pipe, which he shut off, but it needs fixing. Archie volunteers to fix it, but Veronica would rather he call a professional plumber. Speaking of which, as Archie’s manager, Veronica had been thinking about updating the gym. She even offers to front all the money. La Bonne Nuit has been doing well, and she would like to diversify her portfolio with property on the south side.

Archie, Veronica, Betty, and Jughead meet up in the student lounge, where Betty shares with the group her conclusion that she was used by her father so that he could escape from prison. Veronica was with Betty and having seen what was left of that bus, she doubts that Betty’s father survived the crash. However, if he did, Jughead assures Betty that she has him, the Serpents, and Archie’s fight club looking out for her. Jughead also extends Betty another invitation to move back in with him considering things have calmed down since his mom left. Archie asks how Jellybean is faring during this time. Jughead is surprised by how well she has taken to everything. She’s even filled in some key blanks. Apparently, there’s a Gospel of the Gargoyle King out there somewhere. Could be important, so Jughead’s dad has been sweeping Junkyard Steve’s. Cheryl interrupts to inform them of the upcoming Fire and Ice Junior Prom. She and Toni are running for Prom Queens, and Cheryl would appreciate their vote. This, however, is the first that the gang is hearing about Prom. Betty asks Jughead to go to Prom with her, to which he agrees.

Mary brings Archie up a snack, hoping that he’ll take a break from pounding on the punching bag in his room. Archie then asks her to sign his application to compete for the Regional Classic tournament. However, Mary is very much against Archie boxing given its brutality. While she understands that Archie’s been going through a lot lately, she can’t support him getting beaten up.

Betty fires at a target at the gun range. She then gets a call from Dr. Curdle Jr., who tells her that while the corpses were charred beyond recognition, he was able to work with one semi-intact hand, which matches that of her father, DNA and fingerprints. Betty goes through a whirlwind of emotions after hearing that her father is dead.

Jughead comes downstairs in search of Jellybean. Before long, he gets a call from his father, who tells Jughead that he took Jellybean to school and that they need to meet up at Junkyard Steve’s since that’s where Kurtz took Jughead and was killed by the Gargoyle King. And so, they do just that. At the junkyard, they find an abandoned school bus, marked in runic symbol and other G & G paraphernalia, such as Gargoyle masks. It appears they’ve found Kurtz’ hideout. Inside one of the bus seats, Jughead finds the Gospel, which he hides from his father, tucking it away in his bag

  
Archie finds Veronica at school to give her his application with his mother’s forged signature. She asks if he’s sure. If he thinks it’s too soon, Veronica could always send Mad Dog. However, Archie insists that he’s ready. He then asks Veronica to go to Prom with him, as friends. They proceed to purchase their prom tickets from Cheryl and Toni. Cheryl concludes that Archie and Veronica are back together considering that they’re going to Prom and apparently, she and Toni had some kind of wager going. Veronica corrects Cheryl, informing her that she and Archie are going as friends. Evelyn then approaches the ticket table to inform Cheryl and Toni that campaigning for Prom Queen is strictly forbidden. The Farm prohibits it because it goes against their strictures of equality. Cheryl retorts that it’s easier for Evelyn to brush it off as she’s likely been to many Prom given how much older she actually is. Evelyn tells Cheryl and Toni that this is a test. They can either be Queens for one night or they can live in the glory of the Farm for all eternity. Cheryl answers that she wants both.

At the Serpents den, Jughead informs Betty of all his mythological readings from the Gospel as she looks upon their suspect board. He reads to her a story of the Gargoyles and the Gryphon Queens. Betty states that while all this lore builds the Gargoyle King up to be a supernatural creature, in reality, they’re facing a serial killer. The Gargoyle King is flesh and blood, which means that he can die. Jughead tells Betty that it would be okay if she took a couple days off, but she refuses. Jughead then gets a message from Dr. Curdle Jr., who has results from Kurtz’ autopsy.

Jenny arrived to the Farm compound to have a talk with Edgar Evernever about Lorcan's offer. 

"Uh, Hi. I'm Jenny Darcy, I'm Lorcan's half-sister." Jenny greets Edgar and introduces herself.

Edgar stared at the strange new woman who had introduced herself. "It's nice to meet you Miss Darcy. I'm not sure what to think of this whole mess. I didn't even know he had one. What brings you to the farm?" He asked.

"Listen, I want to tell you that Lorcan is turning you down cause I guess you know that Lorcan's plotting revenge on you." Jenny said to Edgar as Evelyn sees her.

"Wait, Lorcan does know we killed her twin sister?" Evelyn asked after hearing that Lorcan refused to join.

"Yeah, she was here when you two drowned her." Jenny answers.

Edgar would look over at her. "Why did you come to warn us though? It doesn't seem like it would help your half-sister. Actually, it seems like just the opposite. Sacrifices and accidents sometimes happen with this ritual."

"Edgar, there has to be someway to get her to join us." Evelyn said.

Unless, Jenny has an idea. "Look, I think I can help you. Challenge Lorcan into a game and make sure if you win, do the same like you did to her sister." She suggested.

"A game?" Evelyn asked. "Are you saying that if Edgar wins, she will join?"

"That's right. But if Lorcan wins, she'll get what she deserves." Jenny said. 

"Edgar, this could be a chance on defeating Lorcan and her army of the Resistance. I know she hates us and everything, but I heard from Fangs that her organs are perfect. Plus we can use Jenny's help." Evelyn said to Edgar while encourage him.

Edgar would ponder this for a moment and listen to everything that his wife and Lorcan's sister was proposing. " I do think we should do this, but we do it after the ascension. Too soon and she will ruin everything that we worked so hard for- and we already have most of the important members and some of our friends under our thumb. "

"Perfect. But, what kind of game will you two play?" Evelyn asked. 

"I am sure that there are other ways to get her to lose though." Edgar said to Evelyn. 

"Well, I have a perfect idea. The game you two will be playing will have three rounds, whoever get two points wins." Jenny said while suggesting. "You guys will choose the first round as the other two will be random."

"Perfect." Edgar said.

"Pleasure doing business with you." Jenny said as she texts Max some good news.

Mary knows that Archie’s upset with her for not allowing him to enter the tournament. And while he may not believe her, she is happy that he’s found something that he’s passionate in, which is why she’s called an old friend of hers who is a recruiter from the naval academy, which has a boxing program, along with a scholarship. Archie could box and get an education.

Betty and Jughead arrive at the coroner’s lab, where Dr. Curdle Jr. informs them of Kurtz’ tattoos, which he surmises are no more than a month old. The same runic symbols that were carved into Ben, Dilton, and Baby Teeth. Jughead read in the Gospel that those markings are needed to ascend to the Kingdom. Whoever gave Kurtz the tattoos could be their next lead.

Mary invites her friend and recruiter for the naval academy, Brooke Rivers, over to meet Archie. Mary and Brooke were roommates freshman year at Sarah Florence. Archie states that he might be interested in boxing for the naval academy. Brooke explains that the academy’s physical education program requires all to midshipmen to participate in boxing, so there will be plenty of competition, and as a member of the boxing club, Archie will train with the best. The academy will also train Archie for life outside the gym. Over four years, during which time he’ll get a great education, a college degree, and a job. Upon graduation, he’ll serve five years of active duty. However, by the time he finishes, his prime boxing years might be behind him. This is why Archie needs something real to fall back on, Mary explains. Brooke adds that many of their boxers go on to have professional careers. But first, Brooke wants to see Archie in action. Archie agrees to set up an exhibition match with Fangs.

Betty and Jughead enter the local tattoo parlor with a $20 bribe and a photo of Kurtz’ tattoos. The tattoo artist recognizes the symbols. He claims Kurtz came in asking for them a few weeks ago. He showed the artist the design and paid cash, just like the first guy, the tattoo artist says. Jughead asks about the "first guy". The tattoo artist explains that he gave that same tattoo to someone about a year ago. Same symbols. Also on his back. Betty asks did he get the guy’s name, but he didn’t. Normally, the artist likes to take photos of his finished work, but this guy wouldn’t allow it. Betty asks for a description. The tattoo artist describes the guy as having blonde hair, blue eyes, and being weirdly magnetic.

Edgar calls Cheryl into his office to confront her after learning from Evelyn that she is campaigning for Prom Queen. Cheryl explains what it would mean if she’s Prom Queen. She could use that platform to spread the Farm’s message. Edgar asks Cheryl if she likes being a member of their community, to which she replies she does. In that case, Edgar tells Cheryl that standing with them requires sacrifice, though if she can’t let something as trivial as Prom Queen go, then he can’t allow Cheryl to speak with Jason anymore. Cheryl understands and immediately drops her campaign.

Veronica meets with an appraiser from the bank at Pop’s. The appraiser tells Veronica that without question, the diner is a unique and handsomely maintained property. Pop Tate grows concerned as he is under the impression that Veronica is selling the diner, though she eases his worries, explaining that she is just taking out a loan so that she can upgrade Archie’s gym. Like everyone else, Pop Tate thought that Veronica and Archie were over, which they are. Veronica explains that she’s just helping a friend and business associate.

Archie fails to make weight as he's over by 6 lbs, and there’s no way he can do so by Friday. Archie is confused as he thought the fight was on Saturday, but apparently, there’s been a change. Archie insists that he’ll be there, minus the 6 lbs.

Lorcan walks to her locker in rush and took a deep breath. She sees Kevin walking by.

"Oh hey, Kevin. I didn't see you there." Lorcan greets until he's wearing white. "Nice tux."

Kevin would looked up at Lorcan. " Thanks, it's in preparation for Prom tonight as well."

"Ah it's cool Kev. I don't think I can make to the Prom" Lorcan said politely. "I'm just gonna stay home and spend time with my Ellie.

Kevin would look over at Lorcan and let loose a frown. " Are you sure that you don't want to come to Prom?" He asked her.

"Yeah, I'm trying to get over my breakup with my girlfriend and my boyfriend." Lorcan answers until she notice about the tux. "Are you... a member of the Farm?" She asked in worried.

"They don't seem like bad people, they promised me a better life." Kevin answers to Lorcan.

"Really, A better life? They want me to talk to my twin sister even thought they killed her, five years ago." Lorcan said. "Who're you taking to the Prom?"

"They promised us all a better life. I'm taking Fangs to prom." Kevin said.

"Fangs? Really? I don't even know that he's gay." Lorcan said.

"Well, he doesn't like people to know that he is." Kevin replied.

"It's safe with me. If I go to the damn prom, who will be my damn date?!" Lorcan asked.

Kevin looked over at her. " Well, there have been rumors that Archie is back in turn and single." He looked over at her for a moment. 

"I guess I can take Archie to the prom." Lorcan said to Kevin. "I never met the guy, so I can get to know him."

Kevin looked over at her with a smile. " Yeah, Archie is really cool. I think he might be a good choice for you." 

"I guess I can do the right thing to take Archie to prom, now that your step-sister and my best friend is gone." Lorcan said as she interests into going to take him to Prom.

"Yeah, you can." Kevin agrees to Lorcan's decision.

"And besides, I'm trying to do the right thing than last year, Kevin. Josie's on tour with her father. Asher and Amaya are expelled for causing the school shooting." Lorcan said to Kevin.

"That's right." Kevin said in agreed as he remembers the school shooting. "So, are you going to do it?"

"Okay, Kevin. I'll go with Archie." Lorcan said to Kevin as she decided to go with Archie to prom.

Kevin smiled. " That's the spirit, I'm sure that he would be more than happy to take you to prom."

Lorcan sees Archie and about to ask him to Prom.

"Hi, Archie right?" Lorcan asked while smiling. "I'm Lorcan, Lorcan Darcy. We've finally meet."

"You're Lorcan Darcy? As in Veronica's ex?" Archie asked.

"Yeah, I guess you're close friends with my younger brother, huh." Lorcan said.

"Yeah. So, uh, prom's tonight. I was wondering if you would like to go with me?" Archie said while asking Lorcan to prom.

"Yeah, it'll be fun. Just you and me." Lorcan said while agreed to take Archie to prom.

Betty and Jughead head back to the Serpents den, where they discuss all the information they’ve gathered. The tattoo artist said that a guy with blonde hair and blue eyes got a Gargoyle King tattoo about a year ago, which is around the same time the Farm came to town and right before G & G resurfaced. Add the fact that her mother just got a tattoo per Edgar’s request. But if the Gargoyle King is Edgar, Jughead wonders how that explains her mom seeing it during ascension night, nearly two decades before Edgar came to town. Betty has concluded that it isn’t the same Gargoyle King. Her mother gave testimony about the Midnight Club to the Farm. Maybe Edgar took on that persona. Betty is confident that he is the King. Edgar bought the Sisters, where the game originated. Both he and the Gargoyle King preach ascension, both also have followers who they manipulate, and both are really creepy by Betty’s account.

Archie informs Veronica of the weight he must lose by Friday while jumping rope. He asks that she give him a ride back to the gym after as he has to focus in the car on his second fight, but this time with Fangs. Archie explains to Veronica how his mom invited a recruiter to see him box. Veronica tells him that he shouldn’t try to fight twice in the same day. She suggests that he invite his mom and the recruiter to the tournament, but he can’t do that because his mom doesn’t know he’s fighting in the tournament. Archie reveals to Veronica how he forged his mother’s signature. She doesn’t want him boxing, so much so that she’s brought a recruiter from Minneapolis. With that being said, Veronica agrees to get Archie back in time.

During one of the Farm’s meetings, Edgar tells them that many tribes consume the bodies of their elders when they die to absorb their wisdom. Betty and Jughead then interrupt and accuse Edgar of being the Gargoyle King. He invites Betty to join them so that they can unpack her obsession with the Gargoyle King. Betty instead tells Edgar to take off his shirt so that she can see his tattoos. Edgar claims that he only has one tattoo. An infinity symbol on his wrist, like many members of the Farm. Betty's talking about the runic symbols she believes are on his back. With nothing to hide, Edgar takes off his shirt, revealing a bare back with no tattoos, asking if Betty is satisfied.

Mad Dog assists Archie during his workouts to help him lose the 6 lbs needed to meet weight. After days of working out, throwing up, and ice baths, Archie just barely makes weight.

In The Blue and Gold offices, having ruled Edgar out, Betty and Jughead continue their investigation into the Gargoyle King. Their only chance of catching him is on his own terms. Jughead wants to use a ritual from it to invoke him. Jughead reads one ritual that sounds similar to Prom. In this scenario, Betty is the Gryphon Queen, and they have to ensure that she’s crowned Prom Queen. They also have to switch the theme to something G & G related. They then go to Cheryl, chair of the prom committee, for approval of their G & G themed prom proposal. While the theme of Fire and Ice was decided months ago, Betty and Jughead attempt to persuade Cheryl to specify the theme with something more medieval. With zero resistance, Cheryl agrees. They can change the theme to whatever they like. She no longer cares since she can’t be Queen.

Archie limps back to Veronica’s car after having lost the Regional tournament fight. Even after the major loss, Archie intends to go through with the exhibition fight with Fangs, which Veronica says is a bad idea. Veronica is willing to do whatever she has to, but she’s not allowing Archie into the ring. Veronica later arrives at the gym to inform Fangs, Mary, and Brooke that Archie has food poisoning and that he can't make the fight. However, Archie comes out the back geared up and ready to fight. Archie faints and hits the canvas as he enters the ring.

Betty and Jughead have called a meeting between the Serpents and Pretty Poisons, with whom he has a proposition for. Peaches 'N Cream states that they don’t take orders from Jughead, though Betty pleads with her to make a prom night truce so that they can all work together to catch the Gargoyle King. During prom, groups of them will be stationed at every entrance. Once the announcement for Prom Queen begins, they’re going to keep everyone from exiting the gym. The Gargoyle King will be there, and this is their one chance at getting him, though they don’t know if he’ll be in costume or not. At the minimum, he will have some kind of kingly signifier, like a crown or antlers. He’s going to make his move after Betty is crowned Prom Queen. The Serpents and Poisons then come together as one.

Mary watches over Archie as he sleeps. Before long, he awakens. Archie regrets double booking the fights. Mary scolds him for also forging her signature and lying to her. Not to mention that he risked his health. Archie explains that he wants to box more than anything else. And with his mom being so happy about the recruiter, he wanted to at least give her way a shot, but he doesn’t want to go to the navy or college. He wants to see how far fighting can take him. However, Mary doesn’t think Archie’s looking far enough into the future.

Veronica tells Pop Tate that she’s closing La Bonne Nuit early as most of her regulars will be at Prom. Pop Tate then reveals to Veronica something he learned a few months back. As it turns out, she doesn’t own Pop’s or La Bonne Nuit. Hiram still does. He gave her a fake deed and kept the real one.

Prom has finally arrived. Kevin and Fangs take photos. Betty and Jughead arrive not long after. Peaches N’ Cream asks if they want to run for Prom court. Betty has been running unopposed. As an extra measure, Betty has cooked up dozens of fake votes, which Peaches proceeds to add to the count. With the Serpent and Poisons in place, Betty and Jughead now have to wait for him to make his move. They decide to dance while they look for him. Lorcan and Archie are having fun.

Max looks at his phone text from Jenny and it's a good news. He rushed to the school on his skateboard to tell Lorcan.

Veronica recalls the back-to-school dance and how much has changed since then. Archie states that some things have remained the same though. Veronica then shares with Archie the bombshell Pop Tate dropped on her, that her father owns the diner and La Bonne Nuit as he gave her a fake deed and kept the original. All this time, Veronica has been working for her father. However, to her advantage, he doesn’t know that she knows. And she’s going to act as if nothing has changed. She is going to manipulate him into digging his own grave. As they reminisce over the old days and their time spent together, Veronica asks Archie to help her take down her father for good.

As they dance no more than a few feet away from the thrown, Toni expresses how sorry she is that Cheryl won’t get to be Prom Queen. Cheryl says it’s okay as Edgar gave her something more than a queen-ship, that being humility, which Toni knows isn’t true. Cheryl admits this and reveals that being a Farmie is starting to lose its appeal.

While getting some punch, Betty is given a letter for the Gryphon Queen, from a masked court jester. Betty’s been summoned to the place ascension night was held. She is told to come alone or else everyone else at the Prom will pay the price. Looking to prevent anyone else from getting hurt, Betty abides by the Gargoyle King’s rules and sneaks out the gym. Jughead, Lorcan, Archie, Veronica, Kevin, Fangs, Evelyn, Cheryl, Toni, and Peaches stand in the crowd.

_"Alright, it's time for us to introduce our Prom King and Queen, Archie Andrews and Lorcan Darcy!"_

Lorcan was shocked that she won Prom Queen, Everyone cheers for her winning. She doesn't even know that she had a campaign. She finds out that Betty's done that for her as a friend. Lorcan accepts it. She takes the crown and places it on her head. Everyone cheers for them to be Prom King and Queen.

_"And now, And now the king and queen will dance with their dates." _

Lorcan and Archie dance with each other. Everyone watches them dancing and think they are perfect for each other. Lorcan, on the other hand, doesn't feel the spark. They both kissed for a while. 

Max arrived to the school where he sees his sister dancing. Jughead sees him and walked to him. "Well?" He asked.

"No sign of him yet. I have some good news for Lorcan." Max answers Jughead as there's no sign of Hal Cooper/ The Black Hood. Max also received the message from Jenny about Edgar's challenge Lorcan into a game.

"Max?" Lorcan said as she approach him with Archie. "What are you doing here?"

"Jenny send me a text and let me tell you. It's good news." Max answers.

"What's the good news?" Lorcan asked.

"Edgar Evernever is challenging you into a game after the ascension. Too soon and you will ruin everything that they worked so hard for- and they already have most of the important members and some of their friends under their thumb." Max said to Lorcan. 

"A Game?" Lorcan asked.

"Yeah!" Max answers.

"Wait, So that means..." Toni said while joining the conversation.

"Yes." Max said. "Lorcan, this can be your chance! You can get your revenge on him!" 

Lorcan was shocked that he's right. It's her chance to get revenge on the Farm. She always wanted to kill Edgar Evernever so bad. He may have killed Laura-Belle and ruined her life.

_Five Years Ago_

_Two months before Laura-Belle died, Lorcan arrived to her final ballet recital before she quits. She dance amazingly. She cares about her family and friends, especially her own twin sister she dearly loves. _

_After the recital is over, She walked to the backstage to congratulate her._

_"L.B!" Lorcan greets while walking to her room backstage to greet Laura-Belle._

_"Lorcan?" Laura-Belle asked while smiling as they embrace. "What are you doing here?"_

_"I paid my ticket to see you, L.B." Lorcan answers while smiling._

_"Thanks, You don't have to come." Laura-Belle said while chuckles a bit. _

_"I know. I want to see my favorite sibling." Lorcan said while they laugh. _

_"Come on, let's go get a soda." Laura-Belle said while talking out to the exit together._

The flashback ends where Lorcan stopped for a minute.

"Lorcan?" Betty asked. "Are you going to do it?"

"I'll do it." Lorcan said as she accepts the challenge. "All my life, I want to kill Edgar Evernever and his wife for what they did to Laura-Belle. I have to kill them before they escape again."

"Attagirl, Lorcan! We hope you'll win." Max said. "Wait, where's Betty?"

Betty makes her way through the dark halls of Riverdale High alone. She enters the girl’s restroom, where she finds the walls riddled with runic symbols and writing, instructing her to flip for her fate. On the sink sits two chalices and a coin. The scenario is strikingly similar to that of ascension night when Alice found herself in the same position. Much like her mother, Betty decides not to play and exits the restroom. Standing in the hallway, Betty finds the Gargoyle King. She did as it asked. Came alone. But now she wants to know what it wants. Betty then pulls a gun from her purse, demanding to know who is under the mask. However, she is ambushed and knocked to the ground by the Black Hood. He stands before her with a hook in hand. Just a few feet behind him stands the Gargoyle King, who watches as this unfolds.

The Black Hood lunges at Betty, but she avoids his attack and makes a run for safety. She enters the Blue and Gold, and shuts the door behind her. Inside, on the floor, lays the body of a female classmate. Just outside, the Black Hood bangs on the door, attempting the gain access. Betty pleads with the Black Hood, whom she assumes is her father, to stop but he continues to pursue her, forcing his way in, and grabbing Betty. Betty does, however, fight back. She stuns the Black Hood long enough for her to get out the Blue and Gold, though the exit is chained lock, and so Betty is forced to find another way out, running through the halls, calling out for help, with the Black Hood not far behind her, dragging his hook along the lockers as he stalks Betty.

Betty runs into the boy’s locker room, where she finds another dead classmate inside the showers. As the Black Hood enters, Betty attacks him from behind with the hockey stick and makes her way out the locker room. She then hides in the storage closet under the steps. Inside that closet, Betty finds yet another body but this one is headless. Betty screams, which alerts the killer of her location. He attempts to fight his way in but Betty manages to keep him out. He eventually leaves, and not long after, Jughead arrives. Betty rushes out the closet, into Jughead’s arms. She tells him how the Black Hood is back and that he attacked her.

After the attack, Jughead calls his dad and the three of them sit down to recount the attack. Betty informs Jughead and FP that it was a set up from the beginning. The Gospel that they found, it was all to get Betty alone with her dad again. Now they have two serial killers in town, possibly working together.

The following morning, Archie and Mary discuss the return of the Black Hood and the murders that occurred while they were at the dance. It’s because of this that Mary decides to stay in Riverdale a little while longer. She doesn’t want Archie alone in the house while Fred is away. Archie then gets ready to head out for a run. Mary sees his commitment to boxing. Archie explains that he tried music and football, but it wasn’t for him. Mary remarks that with the world being as dangerous as it is, it’s probably a good idea that Archie learns to defend himself. If this is his path, she wants to support it, so long as he does it the right way. Archie promises that there will be no more crash diets or double bookings, but he’ll need her help in convincing his father.

Betty rushes to the Farm’s compound to inform her mother of her father's return. He survived the crash and attacked her at Prom. Alice tries arguing against Betty, but she has to deal with this. The Black Hood is back, and Betty suspects that the Farm may be his next target because Betty told him about her mother’s engagement to Edgar, and how he plans to adopt Juniper and Dagwood after the marriage. Alice questions why Betty was even talking to her father, to which Betty admits that she was fooled, and now she has no idea what they’re going to do. Edgar, having listened in on their discussion, tells Betty to stay at the Farm. Their walls are strong and their members are stronger. He wishes to protect both Betty and Alice. With very few options, Betty agrees to stay at the Farm.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The game Jenny suggested foreshadows the Final Battle story arc of The Darkest Tale of Lorcan Darcy.


	14. The Dark Secret of Harvest House

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Veronica turns to Mary and Archie for help after uncovering a secret that Hiram had been keeping from her. Betty raises questions after witnessing some strange activities at The Farm. Jughead finds himself one step closer to uncovering the Gargoyle King’s identity.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lorcan's absent in this chapter.

In the aftermath of Prom, Jughead takes photos of the crime scene. Afterward, he and FP head down to the coroner’s lab, where Dr. Curdle Jr. explains just how Hal Cooper was able to fake his death. He re-examined the alleged hand they recovered from the crash site, and he discovered that the amputation of Hal’s hand was self-inflicted, meaning the Black Hood cut off his own hand and left it behind to convince everyone that he died.

Hiram goes to Hermione in hopes of gaining her support as he moves forward with his plan to buy Riverdale. However, Hermione is very much against this. Hiram reasons that Riverdale needs structure given all the drugs and gangs throughout the town. Unbeknownst to them, Veronica is eavesdropping on their discussion. Hiram believes the only way to save Riverdale is to privatize it and assume leadership. With or without Hermione’s support, Hiram intends to buy Riverdale. And Governor Dooley has already signed off on the strategy. So, Hiram’s advice to Hermione, she should clear out her office as it won’t be hers for much longer.

RD-Caps-3x21-The-Dark-Secret-of-Harvest-House-09-Archie-Veronica-Mary  
Veronica reveals to Archie and Mary that her father plans to buy Riverdale

Veronica goes to Archie's house, where she informs both him and his mother of her father’s plan to buy Riverdale. Not to mention that he still owns Pop’s and by extension, La Bonne Nuit. Veronica then comes up with an idea to frame her father for all the illegal activity that occurs in the speakeasy as his name is on the deed, thus making him liable. Fortunately, Mary is well connected and knows of someone who might be of assistance.

Betty has become situated at the Farm. As she walks down the hallway, she passes Evelyn’s room, noticing that Evelyn is hooked up so some kind of medical machine.

Mary’s aforementioned contact, a federal agent she attended Sarah Florence with. Agent Ardelia explains that they’ve had their eyes on Hiram Lodge for quite some time. He served less than a year for embezzlement, so whatever they charge him with, it has to be big. Veronica informs her of the serving of minors, illegal casino operations, and book doctrines, but Agent Ardelia is very much aware that these are Veronica’s crimes. No worries, they only want Hiram, not Veronica. Archie asks what they’ll have to do in order to put Hiram away. She tells them that their only chance is to catch him in the act of an illegal crime.

Edgar has brought Betty, Polly, and Alice together as they have something to tell Betty. Alice reveals that when Betty was 8 years old, she spent some time in the hospital after falling off her bike and getting a concussion. While she was there, the doctors ran tests and discovered that Betty has what is commonly referred to as the serial killer gene. They tested the rest of the family, though Betty was the only one who had it. She has a predisposition to violence. But now that she knows, Edgar can help her heal. Edgar wants to start by talking. And so, he and Betty adjourn in his office for a private session. Edgar explains to Betty that the gene she was born with doesn't have to define her. Edgar then proceeds to hypnotize Betty with Newton’s Cradle. Destiny, by his account, is a false notion. Betty can either give into her proclivities or fight it. He wants to know her fears. Betty, solely focused on the clanking magnetic balls, reveals that she’s always felt like there’s another person inside of her. A person capable of doing dark, terrible things. And Betty doesn’t know how to get rid of her. Edgar tells Betty that the first step in ridding herself of this darker version is a confrontation.

Betty now finds herself in a dark, bare room, though she is not alone. Betty sits in a chair, and just a few feet ahead of her stands her darker self. She’s all the dark deeds that they did in their youth, like what they did to their old cat. Caramel ran away, Betty recalls, though her darker self claims they drowned the cat. Betty denies this, along with having ever pushed Polly down the stairs, as her darker self claims they did. Dark Betty explains that she is not apart of Betty, but that it’s the other way around and that Betty is apart of her, stating that Betty is the illusion. Betty is visibly in pain as she continues having an actual conversation with her darker self. She then finds herself back in Edgar’s office. He tells her that it’s normal to feel disoriented during the first few sessions. He wonders what else she feels. Betty tells him about the stabbing pain she feels in her forehead. Edgar says that this means her body has located her trauma. He takes her hand and tells her that together, they can heal and discharge Betty’s pain.

After her session with Edgar, Betty calls Jughead to share with him her discoveries. She still can’t wrap her head around what happened in her session with Edgar. Jughead, while working from a booth at Pop’s, reminds Betty to keep her head clear of all that Farmie nonsense. Betty recalls the magnetic balls on Edgar’s desk that clacked when they hit one another. Jughead suspects that Edgar is using sound to influence Betty. He asks if Betty needs rescuing, but she would rather stay, as she has an idea for her next session with Edgar. It’s time she figures out what the Farm is about. Meanwhile, Jughead will continue his efforts to find the connection between the Gargoyle King and the Black Hood. Betty has a thought about that. The reason she walked off alone during Prom was that someone dressed as a jester gave her a letter from the Gargoyle King.

Jughead follows Betty’s lead. It takes him all the way to the student lounge at school. He sits down next to Louie, a fellow classmate. Jughead asked around about a jester who gave Betty an envelope at Prom. The jester’s name was Jerry. Jerry got the envelope from a Druid named Luna, who got the envelope from a centaur named Louie. Jughead then proceeds to bribe Louie with $20, asking who he got the letter from. Louie reveals he got the letter from a homeless-looking kid. Jughead almost instantly realizes that Louie is referring to Ricky.

Betty joins Cheryl, Toni, Kevin, and Fangs at the table. Fangs in noticeably in pain. He reveals that he had a minor procedure done, which left him sore. Betty inquires further about the procedure. Cheryl states that it’s a purging of the pain that’s crushing them. She further elaborates that this is part of Edgar’s methods. He transforms their emotional pain into physical pain so that it’s easier to treat and banish. Toni is next in line for the procedure, followed by Cheryl. Kevin has already gotten his. The tenderness in his back lasted for a few days, but he thinks it was worth it. Betty lifts up Kevin’s shirt to see a large scar going up the left side of his rib cage. Betty notes that the scar looks far more major than Kevin is leading on. He is upset with Betty, telling her not to ever do it again, before leaving, with Fangs not far behind. While Cheryl and Toni remain at the table, they simply turn their backs to Betty.

Archie receives a surprise visit from Veronica, who has a plan to put her father being bars and stop him from buying Riverdale. It’s going to require them both to play their parts, and Archie’s is first.

Hiram is in the steam shower with several of his business associates discussing the big changes coming to Riverdale. Archie barges in and confronts Hiram after learning of his plan to privatize Riverdale. Hiram claims it’s what’s best for everyone, though Archie is tired of Hiram and his ways, which is why Archie is challenging him to a boxing match. Should Archie win, Hiram has to leave town, but if Hiram wins, Riverdale is his to have. Archie baits Hiram into accepting the fight, stating that he might be too weak to fight. With that, Hiram accepts Archie’s deal.

Not long after, Hiram is confronted by Veronica over the fight with Archie. Veronica is upset, though Hiram reasons that Archie challenged Hiram in the presence of several business associates, who he couldn’t look weak in front of. Once again, Hiram is baited, but this time by Veronica, who tells him that the odds makers are betting against him. Veronica’s been getting calls. The underworld is abuzz. They’re all wondering if she’s taking bets at La Bonne Nuit, though Veronica claims to have turned them down. Hiram advises her otherwise, as they can make money off this. All the betting will run through the speakeasy. Hiram will even call some friends. Little does he know, he has fallen into Veronica’s trap.

Polly expresses how proud she is that Betty is taking care of her demons. She then asks if Betty’s darker half mentioned how she pushed Polly down the stairs so many years ago, which Polly has since forgiven Betty for.

Jughead looks to Jellybean for answers in hope that she knows of Ricky’s whereabouts. Jughead tells her how he has been working for the Gargoyle King, which is putting a lot of people’s lives in danger. Jellybean reveals that Ricky is in Fox Forest, preparing to ascend. Hoping to get to Ricky before it’s too late, he asks that Jellybean draw him a map.

During Betty’s second session with Edgar, she uses earplugs made out of candles wax to block the sound of the clanking magnetic balls. Edgar asks why Betty has returned. She tells him that she wants to see her other half again, to gain a better understanding of what she wants. This time around, Betty is much more conscious as Edgar escorts her to the dark, bare room and sits her down in the chair. Betty’s darker self appears and tells her that soon she will be her truest self. Having bypassed Edgar’s hypnosis, Betty’s mind is clearer, and she is able to see her darker self for who it actually is, that being Polly, who is dressed in Betty’s clothes, pretending to be her. She then calls Betty a killer, just like their dad.

Jughead follows JB’s map to a clearing. He stops Ricky before he can ascend, kicking over the chalices and restraining Ricky. Jughead wants to take Ricky back into town, but he refuses. While Jughead understands that the game can make them do crazy things, he needs Ricky alive because together, they’re going to stop the Gargoyle King. As it turns out, Ricky is not alone in Fox Forest. He is accompanied by a dozen or so adventure scouts, who Ricky orders to kill Jughead, but to protect the Princess. Jughead takes off running, with the adventure scouts not far behind. Luckily, he makes it to the bunker and locks himself inside. The Princess, as previously mentioned by Ricky, turns out to be Ethel, who is in dire need of Jughead’s help.

Ethel’s been hiding in the bunker from the Gargoyle King. She's worried that he is going to kill her for failing her mission. Ethel admits that she’s the one who sent Ricky with the letter from the Gargoyle King that was addressed for Betty at Prom. Jughead is upset that Ethel led her right to the Gargoyle King and the Black Hood. He thought Ethel had quit playing after Betty saved her from the Sisters of Quiet Mercy. Betty saved Ethel from the Sisters’ false King, but Ethel later rejoined the true Gargoyle King in the woods. When she came back to him, he put her in charge of his Lost Boys, i.e. the adventure scouts. Jughead demands to know who the Gargoyle King is, but Ethel can’t betray his trust, even after she just said that he’s trying to kill her. Despite it all, Ethel still loves him. Jughead calms down. He tells Ethel it’s okay. However, she and the Lost Boys aren’t safe in the woods, so Jughead wants to move them elsewhere.

Veronica calls Reggie and asks him to meet her at Pop’s because she’s about to pull off her biggest con yet, and she needs her best conman for the job. Veronica wants Reggie’s help in taking down her father, to which he agrees.

Betty has called Kevin, Fangs, Cheryl, and Toni together to share with them what she’s found, that Edgar is hypnotizing them. Cheryl doesn’t care, reasoning that hypnotherapy is a standard practice that most people have to pay good money for. Kevin and Fangs add that whatever Edgar is doing works as he’s taken their pain away. Toni can’t wait for her procedure so that Edgar can take her pain away. Betty suspects that Edgar is purposefully inflicting pain on them during hypnosis. She believes he’s doing it so that he has more power over them. However, Cheryl, Toni, Kevin, and Fangs are faithful followers of the Farm and refuse to believe that Edgar has done anything wrong without proof, which Betty does not have.

Ethel tells the Lost Boys to stand down as Jughead, the Hellcaster, is on their side and has come bearing good news. Ethel claims their quest is complete. Jughead notices that Ricky is missing, who he suspects has left to report back to the Gargoyle King and the Black Hood. When they learn that Jack, the youngest of the Lost Boys is missing, Jughead and Ethel set off the find him.

Betty confronts Evelyn as her curiosity has gotten the best of her. Evelyn tells Betty that the machine she is hooked up to is for her dialysis. Evelyn’s kidneys failed when she was younger. Upon a closer look, Betty discovers that Evelyn is on anti-rejection meds, which is what they give you when you have an organ transplant. From there, Betty begins to piece things together, like the scar of Kevin’s back and Fangs’ treatment. She concludes that Edgar is butchering his disciples, though Betty’s aware that this all can’t be just for Evelyn, who exclaims that Betty doesn’t know anything beyond her own unconfirmed suspicions. Seeking validation for her suspicions, Betty breaks into the lab. Inside the freezer, she finds blood bags and organs.

Jughead and Ethel arrive at the junkyard in search of Jack. They find him on the broken down bus. Unfortunately, they are not alone. The Black Hood arrives right behind them. Jughead covers Ethel’s mouth with his hand and tells both her and Jack to stay quiet and crouch down in between the seats, in hopes that the killer will pass them. However, the Black is already aware of their location, slamming on the hood. He then gets on the bus, forcing Jughead, Ethel, and Jack to force their way out the back door. Jughead then props something up against the door, preventing the Black Hood from getting out the back. He then races to the front door, barricading that one as well, locking the Black Hood in.

Mary confronts Archie as he is on his way out the door. Whatever it is that he and Veronica have planned, she knows that it’s going down tonight, and she wants to see it happen herself after everything Hiram did to their family and to Riverdale.

Mary takes a seat in the crowd as the fight is about to commence. Meanwhile, at La Bonne Nuit, bets are being placed, with Peaches 'N Cream working the operation. Just over at the bar, Veronica thanks Reggie for agreeing to help. He then asks how she’s holding up, to which she responds not well, but they have to keep up appearances. Veronica then takes to the stage, where she performs.

Back at El Royale, Hiram and Archie touch gloves, and the fight begins. Hiram and Archie trade blows, both landing their fair share of punches, but after Hiram starts cheating, they decide to disregard the rules and gloves altogether, resulting in a bare-knuckle brawl.

At La Bonne Nuit, just moments after Peaches gets a call from one of the spectators at the fight, the FBI raids the speakeasy. Veronica and Agent Ardelia have a rehearsed exchange of words. She asks if Veronica’s the owner of the establishment, to which Veronica says she is not and that her father is the actual owner, who is currently at El Royale participating in an illegal boxing match. Veronica and Agent Ardelia then part ways. Unfortunately, all is not good as Veronica had hoped it would be. She gets word from Reggie that some last-minute bets are coming in, and they all want odds that Hiram is going to kill Archie in the ring.

Back at the fight, Hiram delivers a massive blow to Archie's chest and several more to his face and body. The referee attempts to stop the fight, but Hiram shoves him aside and continues to come for Archie, who can barely stand. Hiram delivers blow after blow, eventually knocking Archie down to his knees. As he prepares to end Archie, he reminds him that he asked for this. Hiram goes in for the final punch, but Veronica pleads with him to stop, and so he does. Hiram looks down to Archie and tells him that he’s beaten him and that he’s the better man. However, Archie was simply keeping Hiram busy. FP arrives at the fight and places Hiram under arrest for conducting illegal activities at his establishment. Hiram can’t believe that he’s been betrayed by Veronica. As he's taken away, Mary comes down to ringside and asks Archie if he’s okay as Veronica holds him close, reassuring Archie that they finally beat her father.

Hiram has been placed in a holding cell at the sheriff station. He questions why Veronica betrayed him, suspecting that Archie may be to blame. But, Veronica did it for her. She found out that her father lied, that he still held the deeds for La Bonne Nuit and Pop’s. Hiram recommends that Veronica chalk it up to a lesson learned. Regardless, all of Hiram’s assets are being seized by the government, and Hiram’s empire will be put up for public auction. In the meantime, Veronica leaves her father with the parting thought that she won and he lost.

Archie and Mary return home. In the kitchen, as Archie holds an ice pack to his eye, Mary inquires about his relationship with Veronica, referring to them as a dynamic duo. Archie, however, doesn’t know what they are. Personally, Mary thinks they’re endgame, but what she thinks matters little, and so she suggests that Archie go ask Veronica what she thinks.

After narrowly escaping the Black Hood, Jughead and Ethel head to the sheriff station. Ethel asks about the Lost Boys, and FP informs her that they’ve been assigned a deputy until the Gargoyle King and Black Hood are caught. As FP exits, Jughead assures Ethel that everyone is safe and that they’ll find Ricky. Ethel thanks Jughead for all his help. She hugs him, and as a reward, Ethel reveals to Jughead the identity of the Gargoyle King. Jughead then calls Betty, who makes her way through the Farm with a stolen organ from the lab, and tells her that according to Ethel, Jason Blossom is the Gargoyle King. He doubts this is possible, but isn’t entirely sure. Normally, Betty would immediately say no, but there’s only one way to know with certainty, and that is to dig up Jason’s grave.

After hanging up with Jughead, Betty enters Cheryl’s room and tells her the Farm is a front. Edgar took Kevin and Fangs’ kidneys. There’s a fridge filled with harvested organs. The Farm is an organ Farm. With her, Betty has a small cooler with a harvested human organ inside as proof. Betty suspects that Edgar only takes kids in to use their organs for his human chop shop. Cheryl finally believes Betty and grows even more concerned given that the nurses just took Toni to the infirmary for her procedure. Cheryl decides to go after Toni while Betty finds Kevin and Fangs.

Cheryl barges into the infirmary, demanding that they stay away from Toni. She shoves the nurses and grabs a scalpel, keeping the nurses at bay as she and Toni escape after learning that Betty was right all along about the Farm. They make a run for the back door, though a couple orderlies are right on their tail.

Betty tells Kevin and Fangs that Edgar is harvesting their organs and that they’re all in danger, though they are too far gone. They believe that Edgar is simply removing the parts that are diseased. They suggest going to see Edgar to clear everything up. With Kevin and Fangs too deep under Edgar’s control, Betty attempts to leave, but they block her. Betty knees Kevin and punches Fangs, but they still manage to subdue her, dragging Betty by her feet and apprehending her with the help of a couple of orderlies.

Cheryl and Toni race down the hallway in search of an exit. They head down into a stairwell, where the door is locked but a tiny window, just barely large enough for them to squeeze through, is unlocked. With the two orderlies not far behind, Toni crawls out the window first, though Cheryl does not follow her, instead, she shuts the window behind her as the two of them would never make it far on foot together. Cheryl holds the orderlies off long enough for a barefoot Toni to make it into the nearby woods.

Archie stops by the Pembrooke to tell Veronica how he feels about her. However, upon his arrival, he discovers Reggie is there as well. Veronica explains that Reggie was helping her earlier at La Bonne Nuit and came by to tell her that he wanted to be with her, and she said she wanted to be with him too. Veronica hesitantly admits this is true, and so Archie decides to leave.

Betty wakes up in the infirmary, tied to a stretcher. Betty has caused too much trouble, leaving Edgar with no other choice. Betty saw the truth and knows that he’s harvesting organs. However, Edgar states that Betty doesn’t know what she saw. Regardless, Betty is certain that Jughead and his dad will come for her. Betty is then given anesthesia as she is prepped for surgery, helpless to stop Edgar as she is buckled onto the stretcher, her entire body restrained.

As planned, Jughead digs up Jason’s grave. Upon opening the casket, he discovers that the casket is empty.


	15. Survive the Night

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After receiving mysterious invitations, Archie, Betty, Veronica and Jughead band together to confront the evils of their past once and for all. Meanwhile, chaos ensues at The Farm after Edgar makes a chilling announcement.

After escaping the Farm barefoot, dressed in nothing more than a hospital gown, Toni manages to make it back to Thistlehouse, where she informs Penelope of the Farm’s harvest program and how Cheryl, Betty, Kevin, and Fangs are in trouble. Unfortunately, Penelope does not prove to be the savior that Toni had hoped she would be. Instead, Penelope drugs Toni, knocking her unconscious and taking this information with her.

Both Jughead and FP are doubtful that Jason Blossom is the Gargoyle King, as told by Ethel, though they can’t ignore the fact that Jason’s body is no longer buried. Blossom or no Blossom, someone is wearing the Gargoyle King antlers and it’s up to them to figure out who. Jughead keeps thinking about the matchbook they found in Baby Teeth’s throat. Kurtz had to have gotten it from the Maple Club. When FP asks where Jughead’s going with this thought, Jughead simply asks for a copy of Kurtz's mugshot.

Evelyn interrupts Edgar just as he is about to begin his procedure on an unconscious Betty, to inform him of Penelope’s arrival. Penelope makes it known that she’s fully aware of Edgar’s harvest program, and while she has no interest in exposing his illegal activities, she does, however, want Betty.

Jughead shows Kurtz’s mugshot to Laura, also known as Rosemary, and asks if he’s ever been to the Maple Club. Laura answers that he has, though she’s never dealt with him directly. All of his interactions were with the Red Dahlia, Penelope. Jughead then asks if Laura has ever seen Penelope with a young redhead. Laura has, asking if Jughead’s referring to her son Jason.

With the Farm now compromised and the outside world encroaching upon them, Edgar informs Alice and Evelyn that it’s time to ascend. Alice appears worried, asking if either Edgar or Evelyn have seen Betty. Evelyn lies and tells Alice that Betty escaped with Toni. Edgar states that they’ll ascend without Betty as she was never a true believer. Cheryl eavesdrops on this conversation from the corner, unbeknownst to Alice, Edgar, and Evelyn.

In the wake of Hiram’s arrest, Veronica and Hermione gain full ownership of the Pembrooke, and all over Lodge investment properties. Veronica and Hermione are now officially the co-owners of Pop's Chock'lit Shoppe and La Bonne Nuit. Lastly, Veronica inquires about the El Royale Fight Club, which she seeks to give to Archie.

Archie then gets a call from Veronica, who informs him that he now legitimately owns the gym. While this is a very generous gift, Mary is still interested in where Archie and Veronica stand romantically. There’s a knock at a door. Archie answers only to find a black gift box sealed with a red ribbon, with a letter attached.

Archie then gets a call from Veronica, who informs him that he now legitimately owns the gym. While this is a very generous gift, Mary is still interested in where Archie and Veronica stand romantically. There’s a knock at a door. Archie answers only to find a black gift box sealed with a red ribbon, with a letter attached.

As it turns out, Veronica and Jughead got the same letter. And so, the three of them meet at Pop’s. Jughead’s been trying to get in touch with Betty, but she’s not answering. The invitations say not to tell anyone or bring their cellphones. It’s obviously a trap, but they don’t have much of a choice.

Betty awakens in a bed unfamiliar to her. She finds a dress hanging, with a letter addressed to her, telling her to put it on and come downstairs. Betty does just that. Downstairs, Archie, Veronica, and Jughead await her at the dinner table, with Penelope seemingly as the host of the event. They’re at the Blossom hunting lodge on Thornhill grounds. Penelope explains to Betty that she bought her from Edgar just before he was about to cut her open. To Betty’s right, stands Sister Agatha Woodhouse, with a loaded gun. Apparently, she is in cahoots with Penelope. She was one of Penelope’s mentors who cared for her when she was at the Sisters of Quiet Mercy. It was she who taught Penelope everything she knows about poisons. Betty pieces together that the nuns who she had previously found dead in the chamber with blue lips must’ve been Sister Woodhouse’s doing. Penelope states that the sisters were simply loose ends. Archie, Betty, Veronica, and Jughead, on the other hand, are featured players. The sons and daughters of the original Midnight Club.

There are two more seats at the table that sit empty. Penelope calls in the two remaining guests, the Black Hood and the Gargoyle King. The Black Hood rips off his hood, and as suspected, it’s Hal Cooper. Before the Gargoyle King takes off his mask, Penelope gives Jughead a chance to guess his identity. Whoever is under the mask must’ve had a connection to both Hal and Penelope, but it’s not Jason because he’s dead, even though his corpse is missing. The one corpse that hasn’t been accounted for, who was last seen by the Black Hood, is Chic. The Gargoyle King unmasks, and as Jughead suspected, Chic is the Gargoyle King, though he has dyed his hair red since their last encounter. Jughead surmises he did this only after he started working with Penelope, but this was also after he got the Gargoyle symbols tattooed on his back. This is why Ethel said the Gargoyle King was Jason. Because Penelope called and dressed Chic up like Jason. Hal explains to Betty that he didn’t kill Chic because he recognized a kinship in him and spared him. He begged for mercy and pledged his life to Hal in service of his mission. But it wasn’t just Hal’s mission. He started working with Penelope, who also has a grudge against Riverdale.

Betty recalls the affair her father had with Penelope in the middle of the Black Hood attacks last year. Penelope takes credits for cultivating Hal’s murderous impulses to take her revenge on a town that allowed her to be sold to the Blossoms as a child bride. Their parents knew, but they did nothing but mock her. And years later, when Jason was murdered, none of them even reached out to her. Riverdale is a cruel and hideous place by Penelope’s account. She and the Black Hood were on a mission to exterminate the town’s sinners, and they were doing well until Hal was arrested. But that’s when Chic came to Penelope in search of a purpose. And so, with Chic, she decided to continue her work, but instead with the Gargoyle King. Penelope introduced G&G to their parents 25 years ago and reintroduced it this year to Chic, who gave it to Ben Button, who started playing with Dilton Doiley and Ethel Muggs. From there, the game spread like a virus. This whole time, the true mastermind behind it all, the true king, Jughead says, is Penelope. Now, it’s time for one final round, with them, the Midnight Children, as she refers to them. It’s to reveal their true nature. To prove they’re as dark-hearted as the town that birthed them. If they win, they escape. If they lose, they die.

Penelope takes Archie, Betty, Veronica, and Jughead into the woods, where she presents them with their task. They must go into the woods and survive the night. Each of them will be tested. Should they refuse her test or try to escape, her Gargoyle minions, the Gargoyle Gang, will kill them. With that, the final quest begins. Archie, Betty, Veronica, and Jughead head deep into the woods, intent on completing this final quest and proving Penelope wrong.

Cheryl attempts to convince Kevin and Fangs to join her in her escape, though they remain loyal followers of the Farm. They point out that Cheryl is supposed to be confined to her room for helping Toni escape. However, Cheryl explains that Betty was right about everything and that they need to leave as Edgar is harvesting organs. Cheryl takes them to the storage locker to prove that she’s telling the truth, but when she does, she finds that it has been emptied. Cheryl then runs off to find proof elsewhere while Fangs and Kevin stay behind to prepare for ascension. Cheryl goes door-to-door in search of any kind of evidence. Inside one of the rooms, she finds Jason’s body slumped over in a wheelchair and screams out in horror.

The first quest is staged with a Red Paladin card. This alone is for Archie to complete. The Red Paladin must conquer the grizzled beast, i.e. a grizzly bear. However, when Archie, Betty, Veronica, and Jughead arrive at the pit, he finds a gigantic man wearing the pelt and skull of a bear. Archie rushes the grizzled beast, though he doesn’t fare well at all, landing very few hits. Archie is greatly outmatched in size, though somehow, he manages to best the beast, hitting him with a combo of punches before finishing him off with a large bone. Archie returns to Betty, Veronica, and Jughead victorious. Veronica greets him with a hug. They now move on to the next quest.

Uneased with the fact that she can’t get in contact with Betty and the harvesting rumors that she’s been hearing, Alice visits Edgar, who offers to address her concerns. Unfortunately, he can’t say where Betty is, but about the rumors, he admits that he hasn’t been entirely truthful about all the Farm’s activities. Before he can continue, Cheryl barges in to confront him on digging up her brother. Edgar reasons that Cheryl had a void and that it’s his job to diagnose how to fill it. Evelyn enters with two orderlies who restrain Cheryl and are ordered to confine Cheryl to her room. Edgar then asks that Alice and Evelyn help him gather the flock into the chamber so that they can ascend.

"Edgar, are you going to beat her after the ascension?" Evelyn asked her husband about the game he's playing against Lorcan.

"Like that girl Jenny said. Three rounds." Edgar replies. "Lorcan Darcy will not stop us."

"Do you think "she" is up there?" Evelyn asked about someone. "Our baby daughter?"

Edgar remembers their baby daughter. They had to abandoned her out in the cold because they were on the run by the FBI. They wondered what happened to her. "Nevermind that, we have to ascend. And when we get back, Lorcan must lose."

Archie, Betty, Veronica, and Jughead find the next quest. On a table sits six chalices. Each filled with Gargoyle blood. This quest is for Veronica, the Enchantress. She must choose her closest companion, and they will take turns spinning the bottle and drinking from the chosen chalice, though one of the chalices contains a lethal, rapid-acting venom. Should they refuse, they’ll all be killed. Given the fact that she and Veronica are best friends, Betty volunteers. They both recall prom night, sophomore year, where they played a similar game at Cheryl’s party. Veronica spins first, and from there, she and Betty take turns spinning the bottle, each time taking a sip from one of the six chalices. It’s Betty’s turn when it comes down to the last chalice, which must be the lethal, rapid-acting venom. Before Betty can drink from the chalice, Veronica snatches the cup from her hand and drinks it instead because she cares that deeply for Betty. Penelope appears with two armed Gargoyles at her side. She reveals that this was a character challenge. A test towards Veronica’s loyalty. However, all the chalices were poisoned, though they’re slow-acting, and the only way to get the antidote is to finish the game.

As Betty and Jughead move forward, Archie falls a few steps behind as he wishes to tell Veronica that he loves her. Veronica reveals that nothing happened with her and Reggie the night after the fight when he showed up at the Pembrooke. Her heart ached because she feels the same way he does. Veronica reciprocates the love, and the two of them proceed to kiss under the Devil’s Hand In Pickens Park.

Alice enters Cheryl’s room with Juniper, claiming that she’s there to help. Alice leads Cheryl into the tunnels, which lead to Fox Forest. The tunnels had initially been closed, but Edgar opened them back up after purchasing the compound. Alice hands Juniper over to Cheryl and tells her to reunite her with Dagwood. Alice isn’t coming. She has to stay to protect Polly, but she makes Cheryl promise that she’ll find Betty to make sure she’s safe from the Farm and her father. Alice sees Cheryl out, telling her to keep running until she makes it into town.

Nana Rose wakes Toni up to warn her that the hunt is afoot at the Thornhill Nature Preserve, and Archie, Betty, Veronica, and Jughead are the hunted. It’s up to Toni to save them, but first, Toni must save Cheryl.

The third quest is for Jughead. The Hellcaster. The battle of kings. Jughead must battle Chic. They simultaneously run for the axe, planted in the tree stump, but Chic gains a hold of it first. He swings at Jughead several times, just narrowly missing. After Chic loses the axe, he and Jughead struggle for control of the fight. Chic manages to get on top of Jughead nearly strangling him to death. Fortunately, Jughead wins the fight by hitting Chic over the head with a nearby animal skull. Although victorious, they must keep moving as the poison is starting to take effect, more so on Veronica.

As Archie, Betty, Veronica, and Jughead search for the finale quest, they attempt to figure out how everything is connected. Penelope, Hal, and Chic have created an unholy trinity with direct links to everything bad that has ever happened in the last 3 years. It’s as if Jason’s death begat the Black Hood, which begat the Gargoyle King, which Veronica points out existed before Jason was killed. To Jughead’s point, then it’s a case of a serpent eating its own tail. A cycle of never-ending madness that continues until someone breaks the chain.

Just outside Thistlehouse, Toni has rallied the Pretty Poisons and Southside Serpents in preparation to storm the Farm and retrieve Cheryl. Much to their surprise, Cheryl has already escaped. She joins them, handing Juniper off Peaches 'N Cream, who hands her off to Nana Rose. Cheryl runs into Toni’s arms and they kiss. Cheryl asks where is Betty. Nana Rose replies that she’s being hunted at Thornhill with all the others. Penelope has been planning this for weeks. It’s the grand hunt. With little time to spare, the Poisons and Serpents ride out.

Archie, Betty, Veronica, and Jughead have reached the final quest. Betty’s quest. She and Jughead express their love for one another before starting the quest. Betty finds a black box tied with a red bow. Inside is a loaded gun with one bullet. The Black Hood then appears. He rips off his hood and tells Betty that this has to end. Hal tells Betty that she must kill him. It’s her destiny. He then pulls out his gun and points it at her. either she kills him and gets the antidote or he kills her and her friends. He counts down from three, leaving Betty with no other option. She fires, but rather than killing her father, she simply shoots off his fingers, as she’ll never be like him. Hal falls to the ground in pain, with his gun just a few feet away. Penelope calls an end to all of it. Hal has outlived his usefulness, and so Penelope pulls out her gun and shoots Hal in the head. Jughead and Veronica console a grief-stricken Betty as Archie claims their prize and retrieves the antidote.

Archie, Betty, Veronica, and Jughead won. They survived the night and proved they are better than the town. Nevertheless, Penelope sentences them to death, instructing her minions, the Gargoyle gang, to kill them. And now it’s a race for their lives as Archie, Betty, Veronica, and Jughead take off into the woods with the Gargoyles just behind them as the sun rises. Fortunately, as they near the road, the Pretty Poisons and Serpents, led by Cheryl and Toni, begin firing arrows at the Gargoyles. As they begin to retreat, the Poisons and Serpents charge forward. As for Archie, Betty, Veronica, and Jughead, they’ve taken cover behind one of the trucks and Betty and Veronica have taken the antidote. Once they’re in the clear, the four of them have a group hug. Betty then asks Cheryl about her mom. Cheryl reveals that it was Alice who freed her and told her to find Betty as they’re planning to ascend tonight.

Archie, Betty, Veronica, Jughead, Toni, and Cheryl arrive at the Farm, where they find Kevin in the fetal position, crying in the chamber. He says they left him because someone had to stay behind to explain what happened. The worthy ascended. Betty asks about her mom and Polly. Kevin claims that they’re gone, along with everyone else from the Farm, and they’ll never be seen again.

The Gargoyle King. The Red Dahlia. And the Black Hood. Archie, Betty, Veronica, and Jughead had survived the night with all three. And now, Chic is in jail and Hal Cooper is dead. Penelope was the only one who managed to escape into the night. Given that the Gargoyle King has been defeated, it is now time they take back the town, starting with Pop’s. Jughead has rallied the Serpents, Pretty Poisons, and Bulldogs to help with the clean up of the diner as it is riddled on Gargoyle symbols.

Cheryl has since returned the Sisters, but not because of the Farm, but because that’s where Jason’s body remains. To Jason’s corpse, Cheryl says welcome home.

Hermione makes a startling discovery from their attorney about something Hiram kept hidden from her. Before she can share this information with Veronica, agent Ardelia and several other FBI agents kick in the door and place Hermione under arrest for conspiracy to commit murder against Hiram. As Hermione is handcuffed and taken away, she tells Veronica that everything is going to be fine and to call Sowerberry.

Hiram, while working out in the yard of his own prison, the Lodge Detention Center, receives news from one of his guards that as requested, Hermione has been arrested and the necessary evidence has been planted. It seems this is only the first step in Hiram’s plan to get back at those who wronged him, stating that Veronica doesn’t even know what’s coming.

While sparring at the gym with Mad Dog, Archie tells him about his plans to make changes. He wants to make the gym into a halfway house or community. A place where the kids can go to stay off the streets. And he wants Mad Dog to help him run it.

Agent Smith with the FBI knocks on the Joneses door. He is looking for Betty, who is inside with Jughead. Betty and Jughead suspect this is about the Lodges, but in actuality, it’s about Alice. Agent Smith’s team has been investigating Edgar Evernever for quite some time. They almost had him two towns ago. When they landed in Riverdale, the FBI sent in an undercover, someone tasked with getting close to Edgar to gain intel. They were waiting on her word to take him down. That someone being Alice. She’s an FBI informant. She’s been helping them build a case against Edgar and his organ harvesting program. It’s vital that they find Alice as soon as possible, which is why they’re setting up in Riverdale. Agent Smith seems vaguely familiar to Betty, and so after talking to him for a bit, Betty finally decides to ask if they know each other. Agent Smith replies that it’s no coincidence that he and Alice found each other as he’s Charles. Betty and Jughead’s half brother, who was supposedly killed by Chic.

Betty and Jughead relay this information about Alice being an FBI informant and Charles being alive to Archie and Veronica at Pop’s. As for Veronica’s mom, she’s trying to cut a deal with the DA. But in the meantime, Smithers is her legal guardian. Archie, Betty, Veronica, and Jughead decide to make a vow. With the senior year ahead of them, they vow to be done with death cults, murder mysteries and everything of the sorts. Their senior year may be the last time they’re all together and Archie doesn’t want to let anything ruin that. To that, the four of them toast. Flash forward to Spring Break, senior year. Archie, Betty, and Veronica stand around a campfire, barely clothed and covered in blood. Betty tells Archie and Veronica that they have to burn all their clothes, including Jughead’s beanie, which Archie has in hand. They’ll wash off the blood in the swimming hole, and after tonight, they are to never speak of what transpired. Not to anyone. They finish their senior year, graduate, and then go their separate ways. It’s the only way they won’t get caught. Reluctantly, Archie throws Jughead’s beanie in the fire, though Jughead is nowhere in sight. Return to the present day, back at Pop’s, the gang toasts their milkshakes and promise that they’ll be friends forever.

Lorcan walked in and saw her friends. 

"Hey guys." Lorcan greets her friends.

"Lorcan!" Betty greets her with a hug. "I'm glad you are safe."

"Duh, I was helping preparing the fight against the Farm when they get back. And also, I'm finally finished." Lorcan said that her cartoon is finally finished.

"It is?" Jughead asked.

"It's our summer tent pole. We're gonna spend gazillions. I got all the marketing people involved with their marketing money. I've turned my first cartoon characters into my very first movie, The Darcy Triplets!" Lorcan said as they're all excited. "The premiere is the end of june."

"We will be there. Where's the premiere?" Archie asked his friend.

"At my dad's animation studio." Lorcan answers. "Despite that my movie is released, it has positive reviews because of the trailers. My dad told me that if my movie get positive reviews, he will give me a promotion."

"Amazing." Veronica said. "We'll come to see your movie.

Lorcan grab her milkshake and propose a toast. "A toast to senior year. We will have fun." She said.

_"See you after the ascension Edgar, I will deal with you once and for all." _


	16. Down the Memory Lane

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lorcan is preparing for her cartoon premiere in her Dad's animation studio. While her friends are on their way, she decided to have a trip down to memory lane right before her one last battle against Edgar. While walking down memory lane, she has regaining her sanity for good and revert back to her old self as a kind-heart, polite and cheerful girl.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lorcan finally regain her sanity.

Sometime after the Gargoyle Quest and the Farm's ascension, Lorcan invites her friends over for the premiere of her very first cartoon. She was very nervous about her cartoon. She looks down the halls and remembers her first day of Riverdale High. Until she hears a voice.

* * *

_"Hi!" The voice said as Lorcan turns around. It was Betty when she met her on her first day. "I'm Betty Cooper!"_

_"Lorcan Darcy." Lorcan mutter._

_She looks at her thoughtfully for a moment. "Wait- didn't I see you at Pop's last night?"_

_She groan. "Oh god, I'm sorry if you saw that. I'm having a bad week." She frown. "Month." She groan. "Year."_

_She gives her a sympathetic nod. "Yeah. I, uh, feel you there. I'm your official tour guide to Riverdale High."_

_"Please tell me this school has coffee somewhere. Anywhere. I'll sneak into the teacher's lounge. Anything. Please."_

_She giggles. "Yeah. C'mon."_

_Betty Cooper is a genuinely nice person and it's actually really sweet. After her coffee, Lorcan's much more social and approachable as the two of you walk the bland halls of Riverdale High._

_She spews off historical facts about the town and Lorcan's mostly listening because she need a friend and she just seems like the most reasonable option._

_"So, tell me about your family." Betty said. "Like your brothers and sisters."_

_"My brother's Max, my sister's Dawn, my half sisters are Jenny and Molly, my half brother's Toby and my twin sister was Laura-Belle. My friends called her L.B, she died five years ago." Lorcan said to Betty about her siblings, especially her late twin sister which shocks Betty._

"Oh my god, I'm so sorry to hear that. If you want to talk about it, I'll be here for you." Betty said as she holds her hand.

* * *

Lorcan smiles at the moment she meets Betty. She walks into her office where she picks up a picture of her celebrating a victory when she was eleven and sets it back down next to her computer, before leaving. She walks to the theater and looks at her stuff for her other projects that she and her father are planning to make. She sighs and sadly thinks she will die when Edgar gets back. She walk back down the hall and remembers one time after she punched Cheryl. She never meant to punch her hard.

* * *

_ Lorcan arrived to school where she was approach by Cheryl Blossom. "I'm sorry, Cheryl about yesterday. I was angry at something." Lorcan said._

_Cheryl saw Lorcan walk up to her. "Apology not accepted," she glared at the girl._

_"Look, i said i'm sorry. I was shocked that my dad knows your parents!" Lorcan said to Cheryl._

_"..." Cheryl was at a loss for words at the terrible excuse. "...So you called me a slut and punched me in the face because you were shocked that your dad knows my parents?"_

_"Well, basically yeah." Lorcan answers while holding out her sketchbook. "Listen, there's something I want you to do for me. I want you to burn my sketchbook."_

_"That, I can do," Cheryl agreed._

_"Thanks, it's nothing but cause me to be in trouble. Consider this as your revenge on me for punching you and then we're even." Lorcan said. "Deal?"_

_"I don't accept your excuse, but I'll burn the book."_

_"It's not an excuse. I'm telling the truth." Lorcan said to Cheryl._

_"Yes I know you're telling the truth, which is the sad thing, because it's not okay to react like that just because you were 'confused'," Cheryl responded, unimpressed._

_"I know. It's because I've been seeing many of you in my dream, laughing at me and calling me names." Lorcan said to Cheryl. "It drives me mad."_

_"Are you still going to counseling?" Cheryl asked._

_"Yeah, I'm trying to get over my past and take a break of plotting revenge for a while." Lorcan said. "All I want to do for the summer is to relax."_

_"Lorcan, it's okay." Cheryl said to Lorcan._ _ "Relax for the summer vacation. Your name is Lorcan, is it?"_

_"Lilly, actually, my name is Lilly." Lorcan reveals to Cheryl._

_"Lilly, is it your first name?" Cheryl asked._

_"Middle, actually. Have two middle names," Lorcan answers in sadness. "I know Betty knows about my sister and she doesn't want to be my friend."_

_"I might've told Betty that. Sorry." Cheryl said apologetic._

_"It's okay. I deserved it." Lorcan said in accepted. "Maybe it's too early for me to apologize to you."_

_"I think so too. I'll tell you what, apologize to me after school, and I'll accepted." Cheryl said to Lorcan._

* * *

Lorcan continued walking down the hall and opens the door to the Animation Department. She walks around the place and remembers one time when she was in Joey Drew's Studio. In the exact same department.

* * *

_She walked into the Art Department. It's where the artists designed elements for the various Bendy cartoons. The room consists of multiple desks, a bathroom blocked at the left side of the room and a little staircase leading to the room. "I guess I can go do a number two." Lorcan said to herself. She crawls through the boards to get in. She pulls down her pants and sits down. As Lorcan sits on the toilet, she checks her phone and discovers that her father left her a voicemail. She decided to play it._

_"Lorcan? It's me, I heard from one of the members of the Farm that Laura-Belle was drowned to death. Worst Day Ever, huh? Wherever you are? Let me know if you're okay and also, you don't have to worry about your mother ever again. She's not gonna bother anyone else in the school again. We both are going to get a divorce after what she did. I was talking to Joey Drew, it's very nice of you visiting the workshop, tell me everything when you get back, okay? Love you, kiddo. "_

_The voicemail ends and Lorcan smiles and happy that her parents are getting a divorced. She pulls her pants back on and crawls out of the toilet. She feels better. she sees the Inkwell."One down, five to go."She said and walked out of the Art Department._

* * *

It was an hour after her sister died and she was struggling after that. And now, she made good friends and have a loving family been there are her when she was having a tough time. She walked into the bathroom and looks at her reflection in the mirror and remembers the Farm were in Staten Island. She was eleven-and-a-half. She, Laura-Belle, Max, Jake and Kyle decided to investigate.

* * *

_Six months before their twelfth birthday, Lorcan, Laura-Belle, their little brother Max, Jake and Kyle have received an email from their classmate name Mike who wants their help. They decided to help him by going to Staten Island to see him. _

_Lorcan start recording her vlog with her friends and younger brother in the subway. _

_"What's up, my friends, and welcome to the twentieth episode of our vlog." Lorcan said while starting her vlog. "We have Laura-Belle, Max, Kyle and my boyfriend, Jake. Say hello, Jake."_

_ "Hello, Jake!" Jake said as they laugh. "We started this a while ago. We make great announcements and have fun together."_

_"But this is our entry." Laura-Belle said. "Kyle and I are going off on a road trip with the boys at the end of the month, Lorcan is going to her art show."_

_"Hey!" Lorcan said. "But, that doesn't mean we can lose focus. We are going on a mission to Staten Island to see our friend Mike, which we mentioned in our previous installment. Now, Mike, we go to the same school with him a while ago before he went missing."_

_"It's true. He's accusing this group called the Farm, of brainwashing people who he recruits." Laura-Belle said. "Doesn't sound legal."_

_"It's true." Jake said. "A number of people in different places have gone missing for almost a decade recently but that doesn't mean that the Farm is kidnapping people."_

_"It doesn't mean that." Lorcan said. "I think there's a lot more to this story. We're on our way to see Mike and we're gonna go try to see if we can find the evidence that he's looking for. And if we do, you guys will be first to know. Alright, stick around, subscribe and we will upload the footage as we shoot it. Bye."_

_Lorcan stopped recording and they smile as they're almost to Staten Island. _

_At the coffee shop, Lorcan, Laura-Belle, Max, Jake and Kyle are having a reunion with their friend Mike. They have some cup of tea and cookies._

_"It's great to have you guys out here, I can't thank you guys to come out here." Mike said._

_"All right, so you made a lot of accusations about this Farm." Laura-Belle said._

_"All true. They've been recruiting people, including Carla." Mike said._

_"Are you saying the Farm kidnapped Carla?" Jake asked._

_"Well, her brother took her out of school. But him and my sister are spending time and befriends with this girl named Evelyn Evernever. They are loved by the Farmies." Mike said._

_"The Farmies?" Max asked._

_"That's what they called the members." Mike said. "The Farmies are the members of the Farm. One day, her entire family took her out of school and they took off. I called her, finally get her on the phone, she was afraid and tells me to get help. She told me that some man named Edgar has a secret. He's known as Evelyn's husband."_

_Lorcan and the others are head to the sermon to get a closer look on the Farm. She holds out her mini camera and start recording Laura-Belle._

_"Edgar Evernever is giving his sermon at the park. We're gonna go check it out. See if we can get a closer look at the Farm." Laura-Belle said. Lorcan place the camera in her shirt pocket. "Let's do it."_

_The heroes head to the sermon at the park where they saw some familiar faces. Principal Deedle who's the principal at their school, Lorcan, Laura-Belle and Max's grandparents from their mother's side and of course, their mother. Mike saw Carla in the front row. She saw them in the back and smile that he got help._

_After the sermon, Carla walked to the group. She is happy to see Mike got help from their old friends._

_"You five came!" Carla said in joy. "I missed you so much."_

_"Don't worry." Laura-Belle said. "What happened?"_

_"Okay, last year, I came home from school and saw my parents wearing white. They say that they were expecting me to come home from school. They have announced that they sold the house and move into the Farm to be together as a family. That man has brainwashed my family. Come on, I'll show you." Carla said. _

_Inside of the Farm, the heroes decide to investigate further. _

_"Okay. Okay. Uh, we've entered the Farm and now, we are trailing on foot into this place. It's getting a little strange." Lorcan said as she hold out her camera to see what they saw. The Farmies drowning Carla's brother, so he can be reborn._

_"What is this?" Lorcan asked Carla in confusion and shocked._

_"Baptism." Carla answers._

_"I knew their plan." Mike said. "They probably want to recruit them to the Farm. Edgar probably orchestrated as part of an elaborate scheme to manipulate vulnerable individuals and harvest their organs!"_

_"Harvest organs?!" Lorcan, Laura-Belle, Max, Jake and Kyle said in shocked until the gun was pointed at Lorcan's head._

_"Lorcan and Laura-Belle Darcy, was it?" A Man said who recognize her name._

_"Okay. Okay. Okay." Lorcan said as she gives the man her camera. He give it to Edgar Evernever._

_"So, you were shocked about what you see." Edgar said. "Evelyn will help us."_

_Evelyn walked to them smiling. She is happy to meet the five from Brooklyn._

_"It's such a pleasure to meet you five from Brooklyn." Evelyn greet the five heroes and examine. She tell Edgar about Laura-Belle as the group are imprisoned._

_At night, Laura-Belle is invited by Edgar and Evelyn as she pour a cup of tea for her. _

_"So Laura-Belle, I was hoping we meet." Edgar said impressed._

_"Where are my siblings and my friends?" Laura-Belle asked._

_"Safe in their room." Edgar answers. "You're safe now, Ms Darcy. They are all preparing for your baptism."_

_"No. I've done a deep-dive on the Internet, and there's no record of anyone named Edgar Evernever." Laura-Belle said. _

_"Many years ago, I was a very different man." Edgar said to Laura-Belle about his past. "My life was in tatters, So I left it behind. And I walked in the desert to die, Till I stumbled upon a tree on a hill beside a farm. I was in death's clutches. And somehow I stumbled to the door of that farm, and I knocked. When I woke, I was in a white room. I was being tended to by a kind, elderly farmer. And I said "How can I repay you?" So she put me to work on her farm. I ploughed those fields, and I sowed them with seed, and I watched them grow into something beautiful. I felt reborn. After that, I made it my sacred duty to open my own farm, where I could welcome lost souls wandering in the darkness. We can welcome you, Laura-Belle. We can welcome you, your brother and sister and your friends. Will you join us, Laura-Belle?"_

_Laura-Belle was shocked and feel sorry to do it but she has no other way to protect her friends and siblings. _

_"Yeah." _

_Lorcan, Max, Jake, Kyle, Mike and Carla are trapped in a room._

_"Where's L.B?" Mike asked._

_"I don't know." Jake answers._

_As they struggle to find the way out, Lorcan looks at her minicam._

_"Guys, my minicam's still working. We can upload the footage if we can get to a phone or a computer." Lorcan said._

_"You can do that, big sis?" Max asked?_

_"Yeah, the raw footage automatically uploads to the cloud and then all we have to do is transfer it to the website." Lorcan answers._

_"Well, who knows how deep into this place!" Carla said. "There's no getting out of here."_

_"She's right." Mike said. "We're deep out."_

_"The hell are you guys talking about?!" Kyle asked. "We're just giving up?"_

_"Alright, look, we've been captured, almost drowned and now we've been tied up." Lorcan said. "Who knows what the hell they're doing with L.B?"_

_"We don't know what they have planned." Jake said._

_"I'm going to rescue Laura-Belle." Lorcan said. "You guys escape."_

_The heroes break out of their imprisonment and decide to upload their footage on the minicam to alert the police. They head out and find weapons, including guns and a crossbow to escape as the Farmies are preparing for Laura-Belle's baptism._

_"They're preparing for another baptism and it's Laura-Belle's." Mike said._

_"Lorcan, maybe there's still time! Maybe you can save her!" Kyle said_

_"You're right! I have to rescue Laura-Belle." Lorcan said. _

_"Don't worry, we'll wait for you. We'll break out of this cult and go home." Carla said while coming up with the plan to escape. "Go rescue your sister and we can get out of here."_

_"Okay, I will." Lorcan said while running to rescue her sister._

_At night, Lorcan runs to rescue her twin sister. She sees Evelyn Evernever starting the baptism. "Happy day, friends. We are gathered here tonight to celebrate the baptizing of Laura-Belle Darcy. Now this is a day of rebirth, of course. And as such, it is important to remember that birth is no easy feat. It is a trauma to leave the comfort of our wombs. We push, tear, and spring forth, crying and gasping for air, for life. Today, Laura-Belle Darcy, you will rip off the weight you have carried, you will break through the barriers restraining you, and you will emerge into the light of your destiny." She said as Lisa helps Laura-Belle into a steel tub of water and hold her under water. Even as Laura-Belle gasps and fights for air, Lisa forces her down until she is unresponsive._

_"Stop! Stop!" Lorcan yelled as she pulls her sister from the tub and performs CPR. Unfortunately, she failed and try to performed, but failed. Laura-Belle Darcy is dead. She cries that her sister dies. She turns to Evelyn and Lisa._

_"No, We didn't mean to, We didn't mean to!" Lisa said to Lorcan that they didn't mean to kill Laura-Belle._

_"It was an accident! We never meant to hurt you!" Evelyn said. Lorcan breaths angrily and making a fist in anger._

_"Say something." Lisa said in sadness._

_"You are going... to pay!" Lorcan said in anger._

_"Ms. Darcy, , I know you're really angry right now, and it's a little early to, you know, have some perspective on this and forgive us..." Edgar said while walking in as he prepare to ask Lorcan for forgiveness._

_"I will never forgive you, Edgar! I'm going to get you! I will destroy you slowly, and when you start begging for me to end it - I'm going to remind you of one thing! You killed my twin sister! See you in five years, Edgar and guess what's gonna happened then in five years!" Lorcan said in anger._

_"What will happened?" Edgar asked._

_"You are going to die! Consider it as my plot for revenge!" Lorcan said as she swore revenge on the Evernevers for the death of her twin sister._

_"Lorcan, that is why you're here at the Farm. We can heal you, you are sick. Join us, Lorcan. We welcome you." Edgar said while welcoming Lorcan to the Farm. The Farmies chanting "Join Us."_

_If only for a second, it seems that Lorcan begins to consider the offer, but she instead said, "Fuck off!" Lorcan ran off out of the Farm._

_"Catch her, please." Edgar said to the Farmies as they ran out to catch Lorcan into the woods._

_Lorcan start running into the woods as she trying to hide from the Farmies just behind her. She just barely hide from the forest shed as the Farmies went back as they couldn't find her. Lorcan sees them going back and glad in relief that she's safe from the wrath of her arch nemesis._

_"Take that, Edgar! I will get you for this! You may have killed my twin sister and be ready for your punishment in five year." Lorcan yelled in glad that she swore revenge as she start walking to find the way out of the woods. She stopped walking as she started to cry in mourning the loss of her sister._

* * *

Lorcan stopped remembering her past for once and fixing her hair. When Edgar gets back from the ascension, she knows that she's gonna lose or win. Despite about her face is burnt and hair turned purple, she starting to smile again and regain her sanity.

"Hello? Lorcan, we're here!" Betty called out. 

"Where are you, Lorcan?" Cheryl called out to her friend.

"Here I go." Lorcan said quietly as she walked out smiling. "Show time.

While walking back to the main lobby, she has one last memory of her and Laura-Belle after her last ballet recital.

* * *

_Two months before Laura-Belle died, Lorcan arrived to her final ballet recital before she quits. She dance amazingly. She cares about her family and friends, especially her own twin sister she dearly loves. _

_After the recital is over, She walked to the backstage to congratulate her._

_"L.B!" Lorcan greets while walking to her room backstage to greet Laura-Belle._

_"Lorcan?" Laura-Belle asked while smiling as they embrace. "What are you doing here?"_

_"I paid my ticket to see you, L.B." Lorcan answers while smiling._

_"Thanks, You don't have to come." Laura-Belle said while chuckles a bit. _

_"I know. I want to see my favorite sibling." Lorcan said while they laugh. _

_"Come on, let's go get a soda." Laura-Belle said while talking out to the exit together._

* * *

Lorcan arrived at the main lobby as she saw her friends walked in. She took a deep breath as she walked to them.

"Hey guys, welcome to the premiere. Before we begin, I like to say thank you for helping me out for the past year. Don't worry about my burnt white face and purple hair, I kinda like it." Lorcan said.

"It makes you like a freak show." Toni said as everyone gasps.

"Alright, I'm having sex with your girlfriend, end of story." Lorcan said as she grabbed Cheryl's hand when she laughs.

A Few minutes later. Everyone is talking so loud as Lorcan and Cheryl walked out of the bathroom.

"Okay, people, please shut up!" Lorcan said to everyone to stay quiet, except nobody's talking.

"Sis, none of us...!" Max said until...

"Shut up, here is the moment you have all been waiting for!" Lorcan said to her friends and siblings. "The long awaited premiere of The Darcy Triplets!"

The others cheered for the project. 

"Now, grab the seat in the theater and sit down. The fifteen minute short film is about to begin." Lorcan said as she pointed to the Theater to her friends. 

They all sit down in the theater after grabbing their seats. Lorcan put on the projector and the film's started. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The end of this chapter marks the opening of the Cartoon Premiere story arc, the penultimate storyline of The Darkest Tale of Lorcan Darcy.


	17. Cartoon Premiere - Part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cillian, Lorcan and Lilly Darcy are heading off on an adventure in search of a magicial fruit which supposedly give them great power.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Cartoon Premiere storyline is based on The Magic Tomato, a Socialpoint-sponsored animated episodic series on VanossGaming's channel on the game "Monster Legends".

The film starts in the basement as Cillian eats chips and watches TV in excitement. Cillian is the eldest triplet who's a warrior and has an identical face to Lorcan. he's the goth/emo one of the triplets. He always annoyed by his brother's jokes.

"I'm really excited that Monster Smash XVII where all the most awesome monsters come to decide on which one of them is the greatest hero of all. Here talking to the greatest of them all: Arch Knight." The Announcer said as the crowd roars in excitement.

"Yes! Arch Knight for the win!" Cillian said with his mouth full.

"I never lose! I always win!" Arch Knight said.

"So, Arch, is there any truth to the rumors of a magic tomato hidden somewhere in the world that can turn anyone who eats it into a massive, heroic monster like yourself?" The Announcer asked.

" There is no such thing as a magic tomato. The only way to get to where I am is to eat your vitamins and say your prayers."

"Don't believe them!" Dr. Viktor said as he grabs the microphone and the camera turns to him. "Anyone can become a hero! The tomato is magic and I have the map to find it!"

"Hey! Get that guy out of here!"

"Hey! C'mere!"

as Viktor looks at the crowd, where two bodyguards grab him.

"Visit my website! https://www.themagictomato.com/magic/tomato/secretlocation.pdf!" Dr. Viktor said as Cillian frantically types the URL in, there's a amateur website and then comes a map on-screen.

"Whoa, this is exactly what we've been looking for, wait til Lorcan and Lilly hears about this!" Cillian said.

Cillian arrived at the pizza shop where he throws the map to the table where Lorcan and Lilly looks at the map. Lorcan is the middle triplet who has an identical face to Cillian. Happy and also hot-blooded and always up for a challenge, he also tends to see the brighter side of things in contrast to his dour brother, and Lilly is the youngest triplet who's very shy and intelligent. She loves spending time with her brothers.

"Alright, listen up!" Cillian said out loud.

"Yes!" Lorcan said while smiling.

"The way we're gonna find this magic tomato is to following _this_ map. Okay?"

Lorcan gasps in excitement.

"We'll be able to make it to the cave right here if we find this rock formation shaped like a cucumber." Cillian said.

"Yes! Let's do this!" Lorcan said.

"Um... I don't know if that is a cucumber, i think it's a banana." Lilly said quietly.

"I think it's a dick. You see, it's got, see the balls right there and the shaft and then, it's even got like a little vein right there, it's kind of, kind of disgusting, actually and ALSO I'll also get the magic tomato and I will become the Monster Legend!" Lorcan said to Lilly.

"Okay! Everyone shut up! Listen, you idiots, the tomato is real, okay? I know this, alright, and we're gonna find it together." Cillian said.

"Um... can we just live our normal lives?" Lilly asked in suggestions. "I have work to go to."

"WHAT?! Lilly, you call this "life"?! We're sitting in this pizza shop that Lorcan delivers for, Lilly's a babysitter and I stand on street corners waving signs around all day, okay?!" Cillian said about their lives.

"Maybe, I can bring Ally with us." Lilly said while having a second thoughts.

"Alright! I only made six dollars in tips today, cheap bastards. But if we're gonna do it, we're gonna need some supplies." Lorcan said.

The next scene of the film shows Terroriser shouting at a mother and her son to "GET TO THA CHOPPAAA!" When they run away, the scene pans out to show him in front of a dollar store called "Cost Chopper." As Terroriser looks down in despair, Cillian, Lorcan, Lilly and Ally pull up in Lorcan's van and greet him. When Terroriser asks what they want from him, Lorcan says that they want his "skills, his muscles, and his voice." When Terroriser asks again, Cillian just says that they need him, saying, with hesitance, that he's "really valuable and stuff," a remark at which Terroriser visibly becomes more annoyed. Lilly jumps to the point and tells him that they need Terroriser's employee discount to get the supplies they need. Terroriser then calls out everyone on the fact they never visited him at his job while he worked there for "four fucking years", and now they need his help. Cillian tells him that if he helps them, then Terroriser can come with, saying that they "really, really, need those supplies." Terroriser agrees to the deal, yelling at everyone to "GET TO THA CHOPPAA" as he points at the door to Cost Chopper.

Lorcan's van has all the necessary supplies for their trip to find the Magic Tomato, then it cuts to them with Cillian decide on a banana or cucumber, Lilly playing with the slinky, Ally playing a portable video game, Terroriser with a plastic flower necklace and Lorcan with a soda helmet driving.

"Banana or cucumber?" Cillian said while deciding.

Ally imitates the game's laser noise.

"My slinky, my slinky, I like to play with my slinky." Lilly singing about her slinky.

Terroriser practices his Terminator grunt

This all happens one after the other, while Lorcan starts to get annoyed and mad.

"Hey, Lorcan, what do you think? Banana or cucumber?"

"I THINK YOU GUYS NEED TO SHUT THE FUCK UP! I'M TRYING TO DRIVE!!" Lorcan said in anger.

"Lorcan, look out!" Cillian said as he points to the road.

Everyone screams as they drive off the road, as it fades to black as the car crashes. It then transitions to a mysterious figure wearing a green hood watching over the crashed van with the gang still alive, which cuts to a close look at him and then he quickly walks away. Cillian's recovering from his headache, he notices something and points.

"Way to fucking go, guys! My van is completely destroyed, we're stranded in the middle of nowhere and I spilled soda all over my shirt!" Lorcan said in anger.

"My slinky! Where's my slinky?! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!" Lilly said in desperate.

"Guys! Look!" Cillian said.

Everyone watches in excitement as they've found the phallic-shaped rock formation with two rocks that resemble testicles.

"The Banana!" Lorcan said in shocked.

"The Cucumber!" Lilly said in shocked.

"The Dick!" Cillian said in shocked. 

Terroriser is speechless and screams like Arnold as he puts his left hand in his jaw, and then it shows the rock formation from another angle.

"Holy shit, the map is real." Cillian said in stunned.

"Holy shit, dude, the map is real!" Lorcan said in excitement.


End file.
